hall be missing all
the best of the sight.

"Come along, then," said Tom, leading the way down stairs, and
Hardy and the ladies followed, and they descended into the High
Street, walking all abreast, the two ladies together, with a
gentleman on either flank. This formation answered well enough on
High Street, the broad pavement of that celebrated thoroughfare
being favourable to an advance in line. But when they had wheeled
into Oriel Lane the narrow pavement at once threw the line into
confusion, and after one or two fruitless attempts to take
up the dressing, they settled down into the more natural
formation of close column of couples, the leading couple
consisting of Mary and Tom, and the remaining couple of Miss
Winter and Hardy. It was a lovely midsummer evening, and
Oxford was looking her best under the genial cloudless sky,
so that, what with the usual congratulations on the weather,
and explanatory remarks on the buildings as they passed
along, Hardy managed to keep up a conversation with his
companion without much difficulty. Miss Winter was pleased
with his quiet, deferential manner, and soon lost her
feeling of shyness; and, before Hardy had come to the end of
such remarks as it occurred to him to make, she was taking
her fair share in the talk. In describing their day's doings
she spoke with enthusiasm of the beauty of Magdalen Chapel,
and betrayed a little knowledge of traceries and mouldings,
which gave an opening to her companion to travel out of the
weather and the names of colleges. Church architecture was
just one of the subjects which was sure at that time to take
more or less hold on every man at Oxford whose mind was open
to the influences of the place. Hardy had read the usual
text-books, and kept his eyes open as he walked about the
town and neighborhood. To Miss Winter he seemed so learned
on the subject, that she began to doubt his tendencies, and
was glad to be reassured by some remarks which fell from him
as to the University sermon which she had heard. She was
glad to find that her cousin's most intimate friend was not
likely to lead him into the errors of Tractarianism.

Meantime the leading couple were getting on satisfactorily
in their own way.

"Isn't it good of Uncle Robert? He says that he shall feel
quite comfortable as long as you and Katie are with me. In
fact, I feel quite responsible already, like an old dragon
in a story-book watching a treasure."

"Yes, but what does Ka