t; he was
quite sorry for you. He said I had snubbed you so."

"_Snubbed_ me!" reddening self-consciously, and drawing himself up as if
he did not much relish the application of the word. "I do not often give
any one the chance of doing that _twice_!"

"You are not going to be offended _again_, I suppose," say I,
apprehensively; "it must be with Sir Roger this time, if you are! it was
he that was sorry for you, not _I_."

We look at each other under my green sun-shade (his eyes _are_ hazel, by
daylight), and then we both burst into a duet of foolish friendly
laughter.

"I want you to give me your advice," say I, as we toddle amicably along,
side by side. "What would be a nice present for a gentleman--an elderly
gentleman--at least _rather_ elderly, who _has_ a spectacle-case, a
pocket-book, an inkstand, six Church services, and who does not smoke."

"But he _does_ smoke," says Mr. Musgrave, correcting me. "I _saw_ him
the other day."

"Saw _whom_? What--do you mean?"

"Are not you talking of Sir Roger?" he asks, with an accent of surprise.

"_Sir Roger!_" (indignantly). "No, indeed! do you think _he_ wants
spectacles? No! I was talking of my father."

"_Your father?_ You are not, like me, a poor misguided orphan, then; you
have a father."

"I should think I _had_," reply I, expressively.

"Any brothers? Oh, yes, by-the-by, I know you have! you held them up for
my imitation the other day--half a dozen fellows who never take offense
at any thing."

"No more they do!" cry I, firing up. "If I tell them when I go home, as
I certainly shall, if I remember, that you were out of humor and bore
malice for _three_ whole days, because I happened to say that we were
generally out-of-doors most of the day--they will not believe it--simply
they will not."

"And have you also six sisters?" asks the young man, dexterously
shifting the conversation a little.

"No, two."

"And are they _all_ to have presents?--six and two is eight, and your
father nine, and--I suppose you have a mother, too?"

"Yes."

"Nine and one is ten--ten brown-paper parcels, each as large as the one
you now have under your arm--by-the-by, would you like me to carry it?
_What_ a lot you will have to pay for extra luggage!"

His offer to carry my parcel is so slightly and incidentally made, and
is so unaccompanied by any gesture suited to the words, that I decline
the attention. The people pass to and fro in the sun as we pace
leisurely along