the line of Jethro's progress, fell on Cynthia, and now he was striding
across the floor toward them. And even in the horrible confusion of that
moment Cynthia had a vagrant thought that his clothes had an enviable cut
and became him remarkably.

"Well, of all things, to find you here!" he cried; "this is the best luck
that ever happened. I am glad to see you. I was going to steal away to
Brampton for a couple of days before the term opened, and I meant to look
you up there. And Mr. Bass," said Bob, turning to Jethro, "I'm glad to
see you too."

Jethro looked at the young man and smiled and held out his hand. It was
evident that Bob was blissfully unaware that hostilities between powers
of no mean magnitude were about to begin; that the generals themselves
were on the ground, and that he was holding treasonable parley with the
enemy. The situation appealed to Jethro, especially as he glanced at the
backs of the two gentlemen facing the desk. These backs seemed to him
full of expression. "Th-thank you, Bob, th-thank you," he answered.

"I like the way you fixed that band," said Bob; "I haven't laughed as
much for a year. You hate music, don't you? I hope you'll forgive that
awful noise we made outside of your house last July, Mr. Bass."

"You--you make that noise, Bob, you--you make that?"

"Well," said Bob, "I'm afraid I did most of it. There was another fellow
that helped some and played the guitar. It was pretty bad," he added,
with a side glance at Cynthia, "but it was meant for a compliment."

"Oh," said she, "it was meant for a compliment, was it?"

"Of course," he answered, glad of the opportunity to turn his attention
entirely to her. "I was for slipping away right after supper, but my
father headed us off."

"Slipping away?" repeated Cynthia.

"You see, he had a kind of a reception and fireworks afterward. We didn't
get away till after nine, and then I thought I'd have a lecture when I
got home."

"Did you?" asked Cynthia.

"No," said Bob, "he didn't know where I'd been."

Cynthia felt the blood rush to her temples, but by habit and instinct she
knew when to restrain herself.

"Would it have made any difference to him where you had been?" she asked
calmly enough.

Bob had a presentiment that he was on dangerous ground. This new and
self-possessed Cynthia was an enigma to him--certainly a fascinating
enigma.

"My father world have thought I was a fool to go off serenading," he
answered, flushin