just now."

"You shouldn't have told stories, then," said Miss Harcourt severely,
but not unkindly; "I can't bear storytellers."

The conscience-stricken Henry groaned inwardly, but, reflecting there
was plenty of time to confess before the marriage, brightened up again.
The "Rivers of Europe" had fallen beneath the table, and were entirely
forgotten until the sounds of many feet and many voices in the garden
recalled them to a sense of their position.

"Play-time," said the small girl, picking up her book and skipping to
the farthest seat possible from Henry. "Thames, Seine, Danube, Rhine."

A strong, firm step stopped outside the door, and a key turned in the
lock. The door was thrown open, and Miss Dimchurch peeping in, drew back
with a cry of surprise. Behind her some thirty small girls, who saw her
surprise, but not the reason for it, waited eagerly for light.

"Miss Harcourt!" said the principal in an awful voice.

"Yes, ma'am," said Miss Harcourt looking up, with her finger in the book
to keep the place.

"How dare you stay in here with this person?" demanded the principal.

"It wasn't my fault," said Miss Harcourt, working up a whimper. "You
locked me in. He was here when I came."

"Why didn't you call after me?" demanded Miss Dimchurch.

"I didn't know he was here; he was under the table," said Miss Harcourt.

Miss Dimchurch turned and bestowed a terrible glance upon Henry, who,
with his forgotten pipe in his hand, looked uneasily up to see whether
he could push past her. Miss Harcourt, holding her breath, gazed at the
destroyer of pirates, and waited confidently for something extraordinary
to happen.

"He's been stealing my apples!" said Miss Dimchurch tragically. "Where's
the gymnasium mistress?"

The gymnasium mistress, a tall pretty girl, was just behind her.

"Remove that horrid boy, Miss O'Brien," said the principal.

"Don't worry," said Henry, trying to speak calmly; "I'll go. Stand away
here. I don't want to be hard on wimmin."

"Take him out," commanded the mistress.

Miss O'Brien, pleased at this opportunity of displaying her powers,
entered, and squaring her shoulders, stood over the intruder in much the
same way that Henry had seen barmen stand over Sam.

"Look here, now," he said, turning pale; "you drop it. I don't want to
hurt you."

He placed his pipe in his pocket, and rose to his feet as the gymnasium
mistress caught him in her strong slender arms and raised him from the