ourse. I
remember. Gardener up to the Edward Reidses," and McBirney thrilled as
if an event had happened. "Uncle Ted" was "the Edward Reidses." It
might be her name--Reid.

"He went away six or seven months ago, I think," McBirney suggested,
breathing a bit fast. "I thought he might be back by now."

"Nawp," said the cock-sure one. "I remember. 'Course. Family broke
Up. Old man died."

"No, he didn't," the parson interrupted tartly. "He went to Germany."

"Aw well, then, 'f you know mor'n I do, maybe he did go to Germany.
Anyhow, the girl got married. And Halarkenden, he ain't been around
since. Leastaways, ain't had no letters for him." There was an undue
silence, it appeared to the officials inside the window. "That all?"
demanded Cocksure, thirsting to get back to work.

"What 'girl' do you speak of--who was married?" McBirney asked slowly.

"Old man's niece. Miss----"

But the name never got out. McBirney cut across the nasal speech. He
would not learn that name in this way. "That's all," he said quickly.
"Thank you. Good-by."

So Geoffrey McBirney went back to St. Andrews. And the last state of
him was worse than the first.

WARCHESTER,
St. Andrew's Parish House,
May 26th.

RICHARD MARSTON, ESQ.
C/r Marston & Brooks, Consulting Engineers,
Boston.

DEAR DICK--

Of course I'll go, unless something happens, as per usual. I've got
the last three weeks of June, and nowhere in particular to waste them
at. Shall I come to Boston, or where do we meet? Let me know when
we're to start; likewise what I am to bring. Do you take a trunk, or
do we send the things ahead by express? I've never been on a long
motor trip before. I'm mighty glad to go; it's just what I would have
wanted to do, if I'd wanted to do anything. Doesn't sound eager, does
it? What I mean is, it will be out-of-doors and I need that a good
deal; and it will be with you, which I need more.

The chances are you won't find me gay. It's been a rotten winter,
mostly, and it's left me not up to much. Not up to anything, in fact.
Things have happened, and the bottom dropped out last autumn.

The fact is, I'm going to clear out. Try something else. I want to
talk to you about that--I mean about the new job. I'd thought, maybe,
of a school up in the country. I like youngsters. You remember that
Scotch lad--the one with the money? I wrote you--I tutored him in
Latin. That's where I got the notion.