have met in such a state--the three
travellers, who had ended their long weary journey that unfortunate
morning.

Mrs Dean ran to Esau, and flung her arms about his neck, as Mr Raydon
said angrily--

"What is the meaning of this?"

No one answered, and for a few moments the silence was to me terrible.
Then Mr Raydon spoke again.

"Come back to the house," he said; and I saw him take his sister's hand,
draw it through his arm, and lead her away.

But Mr John, who looked brown and wonderfully changed, hung back, and
held out his hand.

"Oh, Mayne," he said, sadly, "I did not expect to come and find you like
this. What is the meaning of it all?"

"Don't, mother; do be quiet," cried Esau just then. "He hit me first."

"Oh, but, Esau, my boy, my boy!"

"Well, what's the good o' crying? Don't; you're crying all down my
neck. Be quiet. How are you? There. Now do leave off hanging on me.
I want to go and have a wash."

"Oh, Mr Gordon," cried the poor little woman, as Esau ungraciously
shook himself free, "how could you hit Esau first--and you such
friends?"

"Because he was trying to make me out a blackguard," I cried.

"Well, I couldn't help it," cried Esau; "I thought it was true."

"But you'll shake hands with me, my dear, after I've come all these
hundreds and thousands of miles--shake hands and say you're sorry you
hit Esau first."

"Oh, do be quiet, mother," cried Esau angrily. "What's the good o'
making such a fuss? We fell out and had a bit of a fight, and it's all
over, and I'm very sorry, and if he'll shake hands, there's mine."

"Not till you tell me you don't believe I did that," I cried fiercely.

"Well, there then, I don't believe you told him. I can't now you've
knocked it all out of me. But I should have won."

"If I had not been so weak from my wound, you would not have won," I
cried.

"Well, no," said Esau thoughtfully, as we shook hands, "for you do hit
precious hard. There, mother, will that do?"

"Oh yes, my dear," cried Mrs Dean, clinging to my hands now; "and may I
kiss you, my dear?"

I bent down and kissed the little woman, whose face was full of sympathy
for me.

"And you've been dangerously ill and nearly dead, Mr Raydon told us.
Well, that excuses everything. Esau's temper was horrible after he had
been ill with measles. You remember, my dear?"

"I don't," said Esau, on being thus appealed to. "I know you were
always cross with me, and wouldn't let me go o