immed over in Bridgie's eyes, but presently she began to laugh,
and the young men joined in with a sense of the happiest relief. Each
one had been thinking of the other, and putting personal hopes in the
background, and lo, in the simplest, most delightful of fashions, the
knot was cut, and each was left free to be happy after his heart's
desire.

"Oh, it's perfectly, perfectly perfect!" Bridgie cried rapturously.
"The boys adore Sylvia, and will be her devoted slaves; she is twice the
housekeeper that I am, and she has been so lonely, poor darling, without
her parents. Oh, Jack, how nice of you to care for her, and give her a
home!"

"That's what she says!" replied Jack naively. "Shall we send for her to
join the council? She ought to have her say. I'll run across--"

"No, no! Send Mary. I want to see her first--I want to see exactly how
she looks when she knows she is found out," Bridgie insisted; so Mary
was promptly despatched on her errand, and back came Sylvia, wondering
and excited, and not a little mystified by the presence of the tall
stranger.

"Master Jack has good taste!" said the Captain to himself as he looked
at the dainty figure and erect little head with its crop of curls.
"Rather an embarrassing position for the poor girl! Hope they break it
to her gently!"

But it was not the O'Shaughnessy custom to break news gently, or in a
circuitous fashion, and the moment Sylvia entered the doorway, Bridgie
flew at her with outstretched arms, crying incoherently, and with
sublime disregard of grammar--

"Oh, Sylvia, Sylvia, I'm engaged! That's him! It's been a mistake all
the time, and we are going to be married at once. We are all going to
be married! Dick and me, and you and Jack, and you are coming here to
look after the house! I thought I couldn't be married because of Jack,
and he thought he couldn't be married because of me, and now it's all
right, and we can all be happy. I congratulate you, Sylvia!
Congratulate me! I made Jack let me tell you, for I knew you would be
so surprised. Don't you feel too bewildered to take it in?"

"I do!" replied Sylvia, with much truth. Red as a rose was she, at this
sudden and public announcement of her engagement, not knowing where to
look, or what to say, yet with a consciousness of immense happiness to
come, and unfeigned delight at the happy ending to Bridgie's love-story.

Dick Victor came forward and introduced himself, and presently they al