fact is, to my
astonishment, Marion has thought proper to refuse Bob Allen. I was never
more surprised in my life. I had always looked upon it as certain that
she would accept him, especially as she has refused three or four good
offers this year. One never can understand girls."

Mr. Atherton was silent for a minute or two. Then he said:

"I thought too, Wilfrid, that it would have come off. I have always
thought so. Well, well." Then after a pause he went on: "I had intended
to go over in the morning to see him. I like the lad, and had an idea of
offering to advance him a sum of money to set up in a place of his own
without loss of time. Then the young couple would have had a fair start
in life without having to wait two or three years or to go through the
rough work at the first start in a settler's life. The money would of
course have been nothing to me, and it would have been satisfactory to
have lent a helping hand towards seeing your sister married and happy.
And so she has refused him. Well, I will take a turn by myself,
Wilfrid."

And to the young fellow's surprise Mr. Atherton turned off and started
at a brisk pace up the glade.

"He is evidently as vexed at Marion's throwing over Bob Allen as I am,"
Wilfrid said to himself as he looked after him. "I wish he would give
her a good talking to, she would think more of his opinion than she does
of mine."

CHAPTER XVIII.

IN ENGLAND.

"I suppose you have not settled yet as to what ship you will return by,
Atherton?" Mr. Renshaw asked as the party were gathered in the verandah
in the evening.

"No," Mr. Atherton replied, absently watching the smoke of his cigar as
it curled up, "nothing is at all settled; my plans seem to be quite
vague now."

"What do you mean, Mr. Atherton?" Mrs. Renshaw asked in surprise, for
Mr. Atherton's plans were generally mapped out very decidedly. "How is
it that your plans are vague? I thought you said two days ago that you
should go down to Wellington about the 20th."

"I did not mean to say that they were vague, Mrs. Renshaw; did I really
say so?"

"Why, of course you did," Mrs. Renshaw said; "and it is not often that
you are vague about anything."

"That shows that you do not understand my character, Mrs. Renshaw," Mr.
Atherton said in his usual careless manner. "I am the vaguest of men--a
child of chance, a leaf blown before the wind."

Wilfrid laughed. "It would have taken a very strong wind when we first