t to Violet
took no one by surprise, when his only possible rival was out of the
way.

It does not need a very vivid imagination to voice the sentiments of
Aston and his _fiancee_ on the subject of Bernard's extraordinary
conduct--as it would appear to them.

"I was always afraid," the successful suitor would doubtless exclaim,
"that Murray would be the fortunate chap; he was so jolly clever--and
good looking, too!"

"Of course," we may imagine the lady responding, "he was all right in
that way--handsome, and well-bred, and all that sort of thing. But
surely affection is the only thing one really values, dear, and you
were always so faithful," etc., etc., etc.

Meanwhile, in the great Trappist monastery beyond the Irish Sea a
Brother Patrick labored and prayed--if so be he might make some
reparation, at least for past unfaithfulness to so bountiful a Lord.

* * * * * *

"You must have been working hard at your prayers, Ted," was Val's
morning salutation to me when I went in to breakfast one day.

"What, am I late?" I asked, glancing at my watch.

"Oh, that's nothing unusual," was the unkind response, "But I was not
thinking of this morning in particular. Don't you remember what I
asked you to pray for?"

"To be sure I do. For a particularly good mistress for the school."
(For we had just had the misfortune to lose one who was next door to
perfection, and wanted to increase in perfection by entering a convent,
and Val had been worrying himself to replace her before the holidays
were over.)

"So you've heard of one? That's good!" I continued.

"Well, not exactly," said Val. "I've heard of a person who is on the
lookout for a place of this kind, and reference seem quite correct,
but----"

"But what? If she is all right, why hesitate? Write at once, my dear
fellow, and snap her up before some one else does!"

Val's eyes twinkled.

"It's not a _she_ at all. That's the difficulty. It's a master who is
applying."

I whistled my astonishment, then shook my head in distrust.

"If he's not a fraud he must be fooling you!" I rejoined irreverently.
"No capable master would come up here."

"Read that before you make a pronouncement," said Val, as he threw a
letter across the table to me.

It proved to be from an old college friend of Val's, and backed up very
warmly the application for our vacant post of a young man who was an
excellent trained teacher, who had tried h