derly gentleman fashion. "Why don't you
get on your coat? I can't wait many minutes, you know, or it will get
dark. Hurry up!"

"I'm not going. It's too cold. I don't like trudging over the snow. I
am going to stay at home."

Norah raised her thin, little face to his with an audacious glance,
whereat "the strange boy's" eyes dilated with the steely flash which she
knew so well.

"Then please go upstairs and tell Lettice not to trouble to get ready.
I can't allow her to come home alone, along the lonely roads," he said
quietly; and Norah slunk out of the room and put on her snow-shoes in
crestfallen silence, for it did Lettice good to have a daily walk, and
she could not be so selfish as to keep her at home.

This afternoon, however, the call was longer than usual, for Rex came as
the bearer of good news. "You have only to make up your mind to do
anything, and the rest is quite easy," he announced coolly. "The mater
has made a point of speaking to everyone she has seen about the music
lessons, and she has heard of a capital man in Lancaster who is willing
to come down for an afternoon once a fortnight. I met your father in
the village, and he agrees to the terms, so now there is nothing left
but to write and fill in the day to begin. Thursday suits him best. Do
you say Thursday first or Thursday fortnight?"

"Oh, the first Thursday. I don't want to wait a day longer than I can
help. Oh, how lovely! So it is really settled. I wanted it so badly
that I was afraid it would never come true. How am I to get over to
your house, I wonder?"

"I'll drive over and bring you back next morning. We might use our
bicycles, but the violin case would be rather a nuisance, and I suppose
you'll need a bag of some description. I'll be here at eleven, and then
we shall get home to lunch. Edna is in a great state of excitement at
the thought of seeing you."

Norah pulled a funny little face of embarrassment. "I'm rather shy, you
know," she said, laughing. "I've only seen your mother once, and the
other two are absolute strangers; it seems funny to be coming over to
stay. Is your father a formidable sort of old gentleman?"

"Humph--well--I think he is rather! He is awfully fond of getting his
own way," said Rex, in a tone which implied that he failed to understand
how anyone could be guilty of such a weakness. "But he is an awfully
decent sort if you take him the right way; and poor little Edna would
not frig