ssist at the childish amusement of his contemporaries, "would
anybody ever suppose that was our Billy?"

"I should, my dear sister," said I, with proud satisfaction; "but you
remember I always was just to Billy."

Left free, I went myself to hunt up Daniel. I found his door locked
and a light showing through the keyhole, as Billy had said. I made no
attempt to enter by knocking; but, going to my room and opening the
window next his, I leaned out as far as I could, shoved up his sash
with my cane and pushed aside his curtain. Such an unusual method of
communication could not fail to bring him to the window with a rush.
When he saw me, he trembled like a guilty thing, his countenance fell,
and, no longer able to feign absence, he unlocked his door and let me
enter by the normal mode.

"Why, Daniel Lovegrove, my nephew, what does this mean; are you sick?"

"Uncle Edward, I am not sick, and this means that I am a fool. Even a
little boy like Billy puts me to shame. I feel humbled to the very dust.
I wish I'd been a missionary and got massacred by savages. Oh, that I'd
been permitted to wear damp stockings in childhood, or that my mother
hadn't carried me through the measles! If it weren't wrong to take my
life into my own hands, I'd open that window and--and--sit in a draught
this very evening! Oh, yes! I'm just that bitter! Oh! Oh! Oh!"

And Daniel paced the floor with strides of frenzy.

"Well, my dear fellow, let's look at the matter calmly for a minute.
What brought on this sudden attack? You seemed doing well enough the
first ten minutes after we came down. I was only out of your sight long
enough to speak to the Rumbullion party who had just come in, and when
I turned you were gone. Now you are in this fearful condition. What
is there in the Rumbullions to start you off on such a bender of
bash-fulness as this which I here behold?"

"Rumbullions indeed!" said Daniel. "A hundred Rumbillions could not make
me feel as I do; but _she_ can shake me into a whirlwind with her little
finger, and _she_ came with the Rumbullions!"

"What! D'you--Miss Pilgrim?"

"Miss Pilgrim!"

I labored with Daniel for ten minutes, using every encouragement and
argument I could think of, and finally threatened him that I would bring
up the whole Rumbullion party, Miss Pilgrim included, telling them
that he invited them to look at his conchological cabinet, unless he
instantly shook the ice out of his manner and accompanied me downst