in, ain't it?" he said, slowly.

"It's all right," said the other, shortly.

"Everything smells so fresh and sweet," continued his nature-loving
friend; "all the little dickey-birds was a-singing as if their little
'arts would break as I come along."

"I don't wonder at it," said the offended Mr. Kybird.

"And the banns go up next week," murmured the boarding-master to himself.
"Well, well."

"'Ave you got anything to say agin it?" demanded Mr. Kybird.

"Cert'nly not," replied the other. "On'y don't blame me when it's too
late; that's all."

Mr. Kybird, staring at him wrathfully, turned this dark saying over in
his mind. "Too late for wot?" he inquired.

"Ah!" said Nathan Smith, slowly. "Nice and fresh after the rain, ain't
it? As I come along all the little dickey-birds--"

"Drat the little dickey-birds," interrupted Mr. Kybird, with sudden
violence. "If you've got anything to say, why don't you say it like a
man?"

[Illustration: "If you've got anything to say, why don't you say it like
a man?"]

The parlour door opened suddenly before the other could reply, and
revealed the face of Mrs. Kybird. "Wot are you two a-quarrelling about?"
she demanded. "Why don't you come inside and sit down for a bit?"

Mr. Smith accepted the invitation, and following her into the room found
Miss Kybird busy stitching in the midst of a bewildering assortment of
brown paper patterns and pieces of cloth. Mrs. Kybird gave him a chair,
and, having overheard a portion of his conversation with her husband,
made one or two casual inquiries.

"I've been spending a hour or two at Mr. Swann's," said Mr. Smith.

"And 'ow is 'e?" inquired his hostess, with an appearance of amiable
interest.

The boarding-master shook his head. "'E's slipping 'is cable," he said,
slowly. "'E's been making 'is will, and I was one o' the witnesses."

Something in Mr. Smith's manner as he uttered this simple statement made
his listeners anxious to hear more. Mr. Kybird, who had just entered the
room and was standing with his back to the door holding the handle,
regarded him expectantly.

"It's been worrying 'im some time," pursued Mr. Smith. "'E 'asn't got
nobody belonging to 'im, and for a long time 'e couldn't think 'ow to
leave it. Wot with 'ouse property and other things it's a matter of over
ten thousand pounds."

"Good 'eavens!" said Mr. Kybird, who felt that he was expected to say
something.

"Dr. Blaikie was the other witness