at a similar sum would be so placed on the first
business day of January in each succeeding year. A blank card was
enclosed for a copy of his signature, and the statement made that his
drafts would be duly honored.

When Quincy and his aunt reached Eastborough Centre, after the trio of
weddings, they found that they had a full hour to wait before the
arrival of the next ingoing train.

This gave plenty of time for the reloading of the horses and carriage on
the special car in which they had been brought from Boston and which had
been side-tracked.

Quincy wished to accompany his aunt to Boston and escort her to her
home, but she demurred. He insisted, but his aunt replied, "Don't go,
please don't, Quincy; they will take me for your mother, and I really am
not quite old enough for that."

This argument was unanswerable, and Quincy bade her a laughing good-by
as the train sped on towards Boston, the special car in charge of the
coachman and footman bringing up the rear.

Thus Aunt Ella's visit to Mason's Corner became an event of the past,
but the memory of it remained green for a long time in the minds of
those who had witnessed her arrival and departure.

Ellis Smith drove Quincy home to the Pettengill house. It was to be home
no longer, for Hiram and Mandy were to have the room that Quincy had
occupied so long. His trunk and other belongings he had packed up the
night before, and at Quincy's request, Cobb's twins had taken them out
to Jacob's Parlor, where he found them. He knew that Mr. and Mrs.
Hawkins were to spend the afternoon with their daughter and son-in-law.

Quincy also knew that Uncle Ike and Alice were at Deacon Mason's, where
Ezekiel and Huldy were to remain for the coming week.

For the first time since he had been at Mason's Corner, Quincy felt
lonesome and deserted. He reflected on his way to Mrs. Hawkins's
boarding house that these weddings were all very nice, to be sure, but
they had deprived him of the society of many good friends, who were now
united by stronger ties than those of simple, everyday friendship.

He did not care to go to the grocery store, for he felt that the
Professor was entitled to all the credit that he was likely to get for
his day's performance, and he did not wish to detract from it. So he
went directly to his room, and for the first time felt out of sorts with
Eastborough and its people.

He was not hungry for food, so he did not answer the call to supper, but
sat