s to be natural
being met with amazed glances from Mr. Letts and disdainful requests from
Miss Foster to go home if he couldn't behave himself. When he relapsed
into moody silence Mr. Letts cleared his throat and spoke.

"There's no need to be like a monkey-on-a-stick, and at the same time
there's no need to be sulky," he pointed out; "there's a happy medium."

"Like you, I s'pose?" said the frantic suitor. "Like me," said the
other, gravely. "Now, you watch; fall in behind and watch."

He drew Miss Foster's arm through his and, leaning towards her with
tender deference, began a long conversation. At the end of ten minutes
Mr. Widden intimated that he thought he had learned enough to go on with.

"Ah! that's only your conceit," said Mr. Letts over his shoulder. "I was
afraid you was conceited."

He turned to Miss Foster again, and Mr. Widden, with a despairing
gesture, abandoned himself to gloom. He made no further interruptions,
but at the conclusion of the walk hesitated so long on the door-step that
Mr. Letts had to take the initiative.

"Good-night," he said, shaking hands. "Come round to-morrow night and
I'll give you another lesson. You're a slow learner, that's what you
are; a slow learner."

He gave Mr. Widden a lesson on the following evening, but cautioned him
sternly against imitating the display of brotherly fondness of which, in
a secluded lane, he had been a wide-eyed observer.

"When you've known her as long as I have--nineteen years," said Mr.
Letts, as the other protested, "things'll be a bit different. I might
not be here, for one thing."

By exercise of great self-control Mr. Widden checked the obvious retort
and walked doggedly in the rear of Miss Foster. Then, hardly able to
believe his ears, he heard her say something to Mr. Letts.

"Eh?" said that gentleman, in amazed accents.

"You fall behind," said Miss Foster.

"That--that's not the way to talk to the head of the family," said Mr.
Letts, feebly.

"It's the way I talk to him," rejoined the girl.

It was a position for which Mr. Letts was totally unprepared, and the
satisfied smile of Mr. Widden as he took the vacant place by no means
improved matters. In a state of considerable dismay Mr. Letts dropped
farther and farther behind until, looking up, he saw Miss Foster,
attended by her restive escort, quietly waiting for him. An odd look in
her eyes as they met his gave him food for thought for the rest of the
evening.