line, anyhow."

Reginald rose from the piano with flushed cheeks, and said,--"I'm afraid
I'm not used to this sort of music. Perhaps Miss Shuckleford--"

"Yes, Jim, you play. You know the way. You change places with Jim,
Cruden, and come and run round."

But Reginald declined the invitation with thanks, and took up a comic
paper, in which he attempted to bury himself, while Miss Shuckleford
hammered out the latest polka on the piano, stopping abruptly and
frequently enough to finish half a dozen rounds in the time it had taken
him to dispose of two.

Fresh games followed, and to all except the Crudens the evening passed
merrily and happily. Even Horace felt the infection of the prevalent
good-humour, and threw off the reserve he had at first been tempted to
wear in an effort to make himself generally agreeable. Mrs Cruden,
cooped up in a corner with her loquacious hostess, did her best too not
to be a damper on the general festivity. But Reginald made no effort to
be other than he felt himself. He could not have done it if he had
tried. But as scarcely any one seemed afflicted on his account, even
his unsociability failed to make Samuel Shuckleford's majority party
anything but a brilliant success.

In due time supper appeared to crown the evening's delights. And after
supper a gentleman got up and proposed a toast, which of course was the
health of the hero of the occasion.

Samuel replied in a facetious County Court address, in which he
expressed himself "jolly pleased to see so many friends around him, and
hoping they'd all enjoyed their evening, and that if there were any of
them still to come of age--(laughter)--they'd have as high an old time
of it as he had had to-night. He was sure ma and Jim said ditto to all
he said. And before he sat down he was very glad to see their new next-
door neighbours. (Hear, hear.) They'd had their troubles, but they
could reckon on friends in that room. The young fellows were bound to
get on if they stuck to their shop, and he'd like to drink the health of
them and their ma." (Cheers.)

The health was drunk. Mrs Cruden looked at Reginald, Horace looked at
Reginald, but Reginald looked straight before him and bit his lips and
breathed hard. Whereupon Horace rose and said,--

"We think it very kind of you to drink our healths; and I am sure we are
much obliged to you all for doing so."

Which said, the Shucklefords' party broke up, and the Crudens went hom