for either Mahony or his wife to take
a hand; several of the guests held aloof. John had buttonholed old
Devine; Jinny and Agnes were still lost in domesticities. Dear little
Agnes had grown so retiring of late, thought Mary; she quite avoided
the society of gentlemen, in which she had formerly taken such
pleasure. Richard and Archdeacon Long sat on the verandah, and in
moving to and fro, Mary caught a fragment of their talk: they were at
the debatable question of table-turning, and her mental comment was a
motherly and amused: "That Richard, who is so clever, can interest
himself in such nonsense!" Further on, Zara was giving Grindle an
account of her voyage "home," and ticking off the reasons that had led
to her return. She sat across a hammock, and daintily exposed a very
neat ankle. "It was much too sleepy and dull for ME! No, I've QUITE
decided to spend the rest of my days in the colony."

Mrs. Devine was still perched on her ottoman. She beamed at her
hostess. "No, I dunno one card from another, dearie, and don' want to.
Oh, my dear, what a LOVELY party it 'as been, and 'ow well you've
carried it h'off!"

Mary nodded and smiled; but with an air of abstraction. The climax of
her evening was fast approaching. Excusing herself, she slipped away
and went to cast a last eye over her supper-tables, up and down which
benches were ranged, borrowed from the Sunday School. To her surprise
she found herself followed by Mrs. Devine.

"DO let me 'elp you, my dear, do, now! I feel that stiff and silly
sittin' stuck up there with me 'ands before me. And jes' send that
young feller about 'is business."

So Purdy and his offers of assistance were returned with thanks to the
card-room, and Mrs. Devine pinned up her black silk front. But not till
she had freely vented her astonishment at the profusion of Mary's good
things. "'Ow DO you git 'em to rise so?--No, I never did! Fit for
Buckin'am Palace and Queen Victoria! And all by your little self,
too.--My dear, I must give you a good 'UG!"

Hence, when at twelve o'clock the company began to stream in, they
found Mrs. Devine installed behind the barricade of cups, saucers and
glasses; and she it was who dispensed tea and coffee and ladled out the
claret-cup; thus leaving Mary free to keep an argus eye on her
visitors' plates. At his entry Richard had raised expostulating
eyebrows; but his tongue of course was tied. And Mary made a lifelong
friend.

And now for the best part o