opped there was a long pause. Tom could not speak, he was
almost afraid to breathe, lest he should break the train of Arthur's
thoughts. He longed to hear more, and to ask questions. In another
minute nine o'clock struck, and a gentle tap at the door called them
both back into the world again. They did not answer, however, for a
moment, and so the door opened and a lady came in carrying a candle.

She went straight to the sofa, and took hold of Arthur's hand, and then
stooped down and kissed him.

"My dearest boy, you feel a little feverish again. Why didn't you have
lights? You've talked too much and excited yourself in the dark."

"Oh, no, mother; you can't think how well I feel. I shall start with you
to-morrow for Devonshire. But, mother, here's my friend, here's Tom
Brown--you know him?"

"Yes, indeed, I've known him for years," she said, and held out her hand
to Tom, who was now standing up behind the sofa. This was Arthur's
mother. Tall and slight and fair, with masses of golden hair drawn back
from the broad white forehead, and the calm blue eye meeting his so deep
and open--the eye that he knew so well, for it was his friend's over
again, and the lovely tender mouth that trembled while he looked. She
stood there a woman of thirty-eight, old enough to be his mother, and
one whose face showed the lines which must be written on the faces of
good men's wives and widows--but he thought he had never seen anything
so beautiful. He couldn't help wondering if Arthur's sisters were like
her.

Tom held her hand, and looked on straight in her face; he could neither
let it go nor speak.

"Now, Tom," said Arthur, laughing, "where are your manners? you'll stare
my mother out of countenance." Tom dropped the little hand with a sigh.
"There, sit down, both of you. Here, dearest mother, there's room
here;--" and he made a place on the sofa for her. "Tom, you needn't go;
I'm sure you won't be called up at first lesson." Tom felt that he would
risk being floored at every lesson for the rest of his natural
school-life sooner than go, so sat down. "And now," said Arthur, "I
have realized one of the dearest wishes of my life--to see you two
together."

And then he led away the talk to their home in Devonshire, and the red
bright earth, and the deep green combes, and the peat streams like
cairngorm pebbles, and the wild moor with its high cloudy Tors for a
giant background to the picture--till Tom got jealous, and stood up for