nd
that afternoon, as he rode up Broadway, he
found himself wondering how she would
enjoy the ride; and all the sights and wonders
of the great city.

Later, over his solitary dinner, he suddenly
decided to run up to Winton the next day.
He would not wire them, he would rather like
to take Phil by surprise.

So he had arrived at the parsonage,
driving up in Jed's solitary hack, and much plied
with information, general and personal, on the
way, just as the minister and his wife reached
home from the manor.

"And, oh, my! Doesn't father look
tickled to death!" Patience declared, coming
in to her sisters' room that night, ostensibly
to have an obstinate knot untied, but inwardly
determined to make a third at the usual
bedtime talk for that once, at least. It wasn't
often they all came up together.

"He looks mighty glad," Pauline said.

"And isn't it funny, bearing him called
Phil?" Patience curled herself up in the
cozy corner. "I never've thought of father
as Phil."

Hilary paused in the braiding of her long
hair. "I'm glad we've got to know him--Uncle
Paul, I mean--through his letters, and
all the lovely things he's done for us; else, I
think I'd have been very much afraid of him."

"So am I," Pauline assented. "I see now
what Mr. Oram meant--he doesn't look as if
he believed much in fairy stories. But I like
his looks--he's so nice and tall and straight."

"He used to have red hair, before it turned
gray," Hilary said, "so that must be a family
trait; your chin's like his, Paul, too,--so
square and determined."

"Is mine?" Patience demanded.

"You cut to bed, youngster," Pauline
commanded. "You're losing all your beauty
sleep; and really, you know--"

Patience went to stand before the mirror.
"Maybe I ain't--pretty--yet; but I'm going
to be--some day. Mr. Dayre says he likes
red hair, I asked him. He says for me not to
worry; I'll have them all sitting up and taking notice yet."

At which Pauline bore promptly down
upon her, escorting her in person to the door
of her own room. "And you'd better get to
bed pretty quickly, too, Hilary," she advised,
coming back. "You've had enough excitement for one day."

Mr. Paul Shaw stayed a week; it was a
busy week for the parsonage folk and for
some other people besides. Before it was
over, the story-book uncle had come to know
his nieces and Winton fairly thoroughly;
while they, on their side, had grown very well
acquainted with th