slow work to bring about any improvement in outlying
places of this kind certainly,' Mr. Vane agreed. Then he brightened up a
little. 'There is a very good organ, and I met the organist. He seems
very hearty and eager.'

'That's a good thing. How did you come across him?' asked Mrs. Vane.

'We went to the stationer's to order the newspapers. I might of course
have had them straight from town, but I think it is right to get what
one can in the place, and it helps me to get to know the people a
little. The organist--Redding is his name--was in the shop; I fancy he's
a bit of a gossip, for he looked rather guilty when we went in, just as
if they had been talking about us, and then he introduced himself. He's
coming up to have a talk with me to-morrow.'

'It is quite a nice shop,' said Randolph. 'I expect it has some of the
College custom. I saw some books with the College crest on lying about.
You can get painting things there, Alie,' he added.

Rosalys looked interested, and Biddy's face grew some degrees less long.

'Is there a toy-shop?' she asked.

'There's better than a toy-shop--a wonderful sort of place they call a
bazaar,' Rough replied. 'You may walk all round and look at the things
without having to buy, and there's one part where all the toys are only
a penny.'

Biddy clasped her hands in ecstasy.

'Oh, mamma,' she said, '_may_ we go and see it to-morrow? Oh, I'm sure
Seacove is ever so much nicer than London!'

Mr. Vane smiled.

'How many pennies have you got to spend, Biddy?' he said.

Biddy's face sobered again, and the corners of her mouth went down.

'I've got two,' she said in a very meek voice, 'and there would have
been another to-morrow, that's Saturday, if--I--hadn't----'

'What?' asked Mr. Vane.

'Tore my frock,' said Biddy very slowly.

'_Torn_, if you please,' said her father. 'Well, suppose mamma lets you
off as it's the first Saturday at Seacove, that will be threepence, and
suppose I give you three pennies more, that will be sixpence--with
sixpence you could make important purchases at the penny counter, could
she not, Rough?'

'Certainly, I should say,' Randolph replied.

Bridget's face crimsoned with pleasure. She got up from her seat and ran
round to the arm-chair by the fire where Mr. Vane was quietly sipping
his tea, and at the imminent risk of throwing it all over him, flung her
arms round his neck.

'Oh, thank you, papa, _dear_ papa,' she said, 'dear, dear papa, and