chicken, and an extra drumstick in his hand, a whole pie, and she
couldn't count the cake. There were also some empty beer bottles at his
feet. He said he was perfectly ashamed of Fanny's appetite, and would
have to petition the Bishop for an allowance from the mission fund, if
she was going through life at the same rate.

"If we only had ouah deah boy with us, Cecile, what a pleasuhe it would
be," remarked the colonel in a personal way, that caused even the
stately Miss Du Plessis to blush.

"Eugene would be better than the whole lot," added Marjorie, with an
injured air, and added: "If some people I know hadn't been pigs, he
would have been here, too." Mrs. Carmichael called her niece to order,
and told the gentlemen they might go away to their pipes and cigars,
while she and the young ladies put away the things. The black bottle
trio adjourned to a shady nook by the shore, and carried three tumblers
and a pail of iced water with them. The bottle revealed its neck from
Mr. Terry's side pocket. The colonel handed his cigar case again to Mr.
Perrowne, who selected a weed, but could not be prevailed upon to fetch
a tumbler. Mr. Errol also declined the latter, having the fear of Mrs.
Carmichael before his eyes, but, withdrawing a short distance in his
brother clergyman's company, he filled the Turk's head, and said he felt
twenty years younger. All sorts of banter and pleasant talk went on
between the smoking gentlemen and the working ladies. Mr. Errol
distinguished himself above his brethren by bringing up water from the
lake and by carrying pailfuls of dishes down to it, for which he
received great commendation. Mr. Perrowne had his ears boxed twice by
Miss Halbert, it was said, for cheek. Mr. Terry was called upon to
deliver up his sacred charge, but demurred. When the ladies made a raid
upon his party to recover it, he fled, but Marjorie caught him by the
coat-tails, and the spoil was wrested from him, although not before he
had poured himself out a final three fingers in his tumbler. Filling it
up with ice-water, he drank to the success of the picnic, and especially
to absent friends. Mr. Bigglethorpe had been so long fishing in the sun
that he thought a rest would do him good. Accordingly, he lay down on
his back with his hat drawn over his eyes, and composed himself to
sleep. Finally, the clergymen went over to where Mrs. Carmichael was
sitting with Miss Halbert and Marjorie, while Miss Du Plessis, having
had a