aration, and clothed them in a pair of
her uncle's kid gloves, which were so large and baggy that she had to
sit down and laugh at her victim, who felt very happy and very foolish.
Finally she found that Mr. Errol, whose hands were more shapely, had an
old pair of gloves in his pocket. So the Squire's were taken off, and
the discovery made that the hands needed more washing, soaping, and
anointing. Coristine said his ring, a very handsome one, hurt him;
would Miss Carmichael please take it off and keep it for him? Miss
Carmichael removed the obnoxious ring, and did not know where to put it,
but, in the meantime, to prevent its being lost, slipped it on to one of
her own fingers, which almost paralyzed the lawyer with joy. He could
have sat there forever; but the gong sounded for prayers, and he
accompanied his nurse into the dining-room. There the whole household
was assembled, even to the idiot Monty, with the exception of Tryphena,
engaged in culinary duties, and Sylvanus, who mounted guard over the
wounded Newcome. Ben Toner also was absent, having ridden off to summon
Dr. Halbert. Mr. Perrowne, at the Squire's request, read the chapter for
the day, and the minister offered a prayer, brief but fervent, returning
thanks for the deliverance of the past night, and imploring help in
every time of need, after which the entire company, Mr. Terry included,
joined in the Lord's Prayer. Adjourning to the breakfast room, the
events of the night were discussed over the porridge, the hot rolls and
coffee and the other good things provided. Mr. Terry had been induced to
desert the kitchen for once, and he and Coristine were the heroes of the
hour. The lawyer put in a good word for the parson, and the Squire for
Wilkinson, so that Miss Du Plessis and the other ladies were compelled
to smile on both gentlemen. While the dominie blushed, the Captain
settled his eye on him. "I told him when he was aboard the _Susan
Thomas_ that, with all his innercent sort of looks, he was a sly dog,
with his questions about an old man's pretty niece. I knowed I'd see him
in Flanders makin' up to the gals, the sly dog! Got set down right beam
on to their weather ports every time, even when he wasn't told to go on
watch at all, the sly dog. Wilkison is his name; it'll be Will-kiss-em
some day, ha! ha! ha! the sly dog!"

The schoolmaster was dreadfully uncomfortable, and his lady teacher
hardly less so. It was a blessed relief when a buggy drove up to t