returned, Sir Knight," was the remark with which Alice greeted
him.

"I have, fair lady," replied Quincy, in the same vein; "I have captured
one of the enemy and brought her as a prisoner to your castle. Here are
some documents," he continued, as he placed the proofs in Alice's hands,
"that contain valuable secrets, and they will, no doubt, furnish strong
evidence against the prisoner."

"What is it?" asked Alice, holding up the package.

"They are the proofs of three of your stories," replied Quincy,
relapsing into commonplace; "and Leopold says they must be read and
corrected at once. If we can attend to this during the afternoon and
evening, I will go up to Boston again to-morrow morning." Quincy then
told Alice about Rosa and the terms that he had made with her, and Alice
expressed herself as greatly pleased with the arrangement. "You will
find Miss Very a perfect lady," said Quincy, "with a low, melodious
voice that will not jar upon your ears, as mine, no doubt, has often
done."

"You are unfair to yourself, when you say that," remarked Alice
earnestly. "Your voice has never jarred upon my ears, and I have always
been pleased to listen to you."

Whether Quincy's voice would have grown softer and sweeter and his words
more impassioned if the interview had continued, cannot be divined, for
Mrs. Maxwell at that moment opened the parlor door and called out,
"Dinner's ready," just as Mandy Skinner used to do in the days gone by.

Miss Very was introduced to Alice and the others at the dinner table,
and took the seat formerly occupied by 'Zekiel. Quincy consented to
remain to dinner, as he knew his services would be required in the proof
reading. When Cobb's twins reached the barn, after dinner, Jim said to
Bill, "Isn't she a stunner! I couldn't keep my eyes off'n her."

"Neither could I," rejoined Bill. "I tell yer, Jim, style comes nat'ral
to city folks. I'll be durned if I know whether I had chicken or codfish
for dinner."

After the noonday meal the three zealous toilers in the paths of
literature began work. Quincy read from the manuscript, Rosa held the
proofs, while Alice listened intently, and from time to time made
changes in punctuation or slight alterations in the language. No
sentence had to be rewritten, and when the reading of the story, Was It
Signed? was finished, Rosa said, "A remarkably clean set of proofs; only
a few changes, and those slight ones. In the case of very few authors
are their