things every birthday, ain't
it?"

"Yes, he is very kind," Kitty answered, with a shy sort of stiffness,
which seemed to show that she could well dispense with his kindness.
Hugo laughed to himself, and pictured Vivian's discomfiture if he had
seen the reception of his present. He changed the subject.

"Have you been long in Scotland, Miss Murray?"

"For a fortnight only. We came rather suddenly, hearing that the tenant
had left this house. We expected him to stay for some time longer."

"It is fortunate for us that Strathleckie happened to fall vacant," said
Hugo, gravely.

"Do you know, Betty," said one of the boys at that moment, "that Mr.
Stretton says he has been in Scotland before, and knows this part of the
country very well?"

"Yes, he told me so."

"Mr. Stretton is our tutor," said Harry, kindly explaining his remark to
the visitor. "He only came yesterday morning. He had a holiday when we
came here; and so had we."

"I presume that you like holidays," said Hugo, caressing the silky
moustache that was just covering his upper lip, and smiling at the
child, with a notion that he was making himself pleasant to the ladies
of the party by doing so.

"I liked holidays before Mr. Stretton came to us," said Harry. "But I
don't mind lessons half so much now. He teaches in such a jolly sort of
way."

"Mr. Stretton is a favourite," remarked Hugo, looking at the mother.

"Such a clever man!" sighed Mrs. Heron. "So kind to the children! We met
him in Italy."

"I think I saw him at the station yesterday. He has grey hair?"

"Yes, but he's quite young," interposed Harry, indignantly. "He isn't
thirty; I asked him. He had a brain fever, and it turned his hair grey;
he told me so."

"It has a very striking effect," said Mrs. Heron, languidly. "He has a
fine face--my husband says a beautiful face--and framed in that grey
hair----I wish you could see him, Mr. Luttrell, but he is so shy that it
seems impossible to drag him out of his own particular den."

"So very shy, is he?" thought Hugo to himself. "I wonder where I have
seen him. I am sure I have seen him before, and I am sure that he knew
me. Well, I must wait. I suppose I shall meet him again in the course of
time."

He took his leave, remembering that he had already out-stayed the
conventional limits of a call; and he was pleased when Mrs. Heron showed
some warmth of interest in his future movements, and expressed a wish to
see him again very soon. Her