hur was
to join them on the 4th, as the _Germanic_ sailed the 15th.

All the wedding guests accompanied them to the station, Tom accepting a
seat in the coupe with Ann Eliza, who wore her two hundred dollar gown,
and was, of course, overdressed. But Tom did not think much about that.
He was ill at ease that morning, though trying to seem natural; and when
the train which took Jerrie away disappeared from view, he felt as if
everything which had made life desirable had left him forever, and he
cared but little now what he did, or with whom his lot was cast.

So when Ann Eliza, who had cried at parting with Jerrie, dried her eyes
and said to him, 'It is such a fine day; suppose we drive along the
river; it may dispel the blues,' he assented, and soon found himself
bowling along the smooth turnpike with Ann Eliza, whom he thought rather
interesting, with the tears shed for Jerrie on her long, light
eyelashes.

'I shall miss her so much, and be so lonely without her. I hope you'll
call often,' she said to him, when at last the drive was over, and Tom
promised that he would, and kept his promise, too; for after Arthur
left, he found Tracy Park so insupportably dull, with his father always
in Maude's room and his mother always in tears, that it was a relief to
go to Le Bateau and be made much of as if he were a prince and treated
to nice little lunches and suppers, even if old Peterkin did make one of
the party and disgust him so at times that he felt as if he must snatch
up his hat and fly.

And one night, when the old man had been more than usually disagreeable
and pompous, he did start up abruptly and leave the house, mentally
vowing never to enter it again.

'I'd rather saw wood and gather swill, as Hal used to, than listen to
that infernal old brag,' he was saying to himself, when he heard a
wheezy sound behind him, and looking round saw the old brag in full
pursuit and beckoning him to stop.

'I'm goin' to walk a spell with you,' he said, locking his arm in Tom's
as he came up. 'I want to have a little talk.'

'Yes,' Tom faltered, with a dreadful sinking of the heart, while
Peterkin went on:

'You see you've been a comin' to Lubbertoo off and on for mighty nigh a
month, and as the parents of a family it's time I as't your intentions.'

'Intentions!' Tom stammered, trying to draw his arm from Peterkin's.

But he might as well have tried to wrench it from a vise, for Peterkin
held it fast and went on:

'Yes,