liking. His daughter Maria, faithfully at her mother's side, sat with one
ear grudgingly lent to the prosy heaviness of Mr. Webb's light talk, and
her whole face turned longingly toward the spot where the happy sinners
were gyrating, and, seeing her father there, her round eyes grew rounder
than ever, as she watched in breathless alarm lest the earth should open
under his feet in instant retribution. Gracious, if ma should turn her
head! But there are some wrongs it is best to ignore altogether, where
prevention is hopeless, and Mrs. Upjohn, like many another good woman,
always knew when not to see. So she persistently did not see now, and Mr.
Upjohn spun away to his heart's content (prudently keeping in the
remotest corner of the sward, to be sure), winking at Maria every now and
then in the highest glee, and once absolutely signing to her to sneak
over to him and try a turn too.

And then came supper-time, and such a supper, setting all confectioners
and doctors at defiance at once! Mr. Upjohn, red and perspiring, and
remarking how curiously hot the bonfires made the woods at night, waited
on his wife with gallant solicitude, lest she should leave a single dish
untasted. Mrs. Bruce had left town the day before, and in the absence of
any new admiration he always fell back with perfect content upon his old
allegiance. Mrs. Upjohn received his devotion as calmly as his
intermittent neglects, and only raised her eyebrows when he stooped to
whisper, "My love, you're the most handsomely dressed woman here!" which
was strictly true as regarded the materials of her attire, and
unblushingly false as regarded the blending of them. Dick had been in his
element all the evening. He had had a serio-comic flirtation with every
girl in turn. He had cut out Jake Dexter with Nellie Atterbury, and made
it up to his friend by offering him a lock of Bell's hair, which he had
surreptitiously cut from her hanging braids, and which Jake wore pinned
in his button hole as a trophy for the rest of the evening, to the
immense scandal of everybody. But with the supper-hour Dick's spirits
ebbed. He knew, poor fellow, what Fate held in store. His father intended
making a few remarks over him, as a sort of substitute for his defrauded
speech to the non-existing tenantry.

"Stand by me, Jake, there's a man!" whispered Dick, forlornly, to
his crony.

"I will, Dick, like a woman!" Jake responded, tenderly, and the two stood
together just at Mr. Har