fore the
whole school,' said her husband, laughing, but almost with tears in his
eyes; and he hurried away, while she went joyfully back to the
drawing-room to tell Mary and Frances the good news.

They literally 'jumped for joy;' and there was a kind of triple hug
between the mother and her daughters, from which Frances was the first
to break away, crying, 'Oh, where's Jessie? do let me tell her! how glad
she will be!'

'She knows, I think,' said Mrs. Cunningham; 'it was she who brought
father the letter. But find her by all means, and Lewis too, that we may
all be happy together.'

Lewis was easily found, but nothing could be seen of Jessie; and
presently her little brother was sent to the meadows where Percy was
fishing, to see if she had run there with the tidings; but there she was
not, and there was some consternation at the Rectory when the fact was
announced.

'I really think she must have gone to Fairview,' said Mary anxiously.

'Perhaps she thought she could overtake Cecil,' suggested Frances. And
though they did not know it, this guess hit the exact truth.

When Jessie left the study, she firmly believed that if she were only
quick enough she could catch Cecil, who was very likely to linger on his
way; and she had a vision of finding him leaning over a certain gate
which opened into a harvest-field, and which was a favourite
halting-place with all the young people.

No, he was not at the gate; but Jessie, full of her one idea of
overtaking him, flew on and on till she had reached the outskirts of the
town, and still she saw nothing of him--the truth being, that not having
allowed himself more than enough time for his walk that morning, he had
hurried on instead of stopping anywhere, and was in school by this time.
She was dismayed when the country road began to turn into a street, and
realized for the first time how far she had come. She had not had a
thought of doing wrong when she began to run after Cecil, but now she
was struck with a sudden sense of misdemeanour, and a fear that 'mother'
would be angry.

'I wonder if I ought to go back,' she said to herself, 'or whether I may
just go on to Mr. Bardsley's! It isn't far now, and then Cecil could
come back with me, I daresay. Perhaps I could still catch him just as
he's going in.'

Inspirited by this thought, she began to run again, and in a little
while she was standing opposite the square brick house which she knew to
be Mr. Bardsley's. There w