nce more young and happy faces around me."

"You mistake me," said Sir Adrian with an effort; "while you are
acting as my representative you have, as you know, all liberty to
entertain what guests you choose, and as you see fit. It is natural,
perhaps, that you should now believe me anxious to hurry back to the
lighthouse, and I should have told you before that it is my intention
this time to remain longer than my wont, in which circumstance the
arrangements for the entertaining of our relatives will devolve upon
myself."

Rupert broke into a loud laugh.

"Forgive me, but the idea is too ludicrous! What sort of funeral
festivities do you propose to provide to the neighbourhood, with you
and Sophia presiding, the living images of mourning and desolation?
There, my dear fellow, I _must_ laugh. It will be the skeleton at the
feast with a vengeance. Why, even to-night, in the bosom of your
family, as it were, your presence lay so like a wet blanket upon us
all that, 'pon my soul, I nearly cracked my voice trying to keep those
girls from noticing it! Seriously, I am delighted, of course, that you
should feel so sportive, and it is high time indeed that the
neighbourhood should see something of you, but I fear you are
reckoning beyond your strength. Anyhow, command me. I shall be anxious
to help you all I can in this novel departure. What are your plans?"

"I have laid no plans," answered Sir Adrian coldly, after a slight
pause, "but you do not need me to tell you, Rupert, that to surround
myself with such gaiety as you suggest is impossible."

"You mean to make our poor little cousins lead as melancholy an
existence as you do yourself then," cried Rupert with an angry laugh.
Matters were not progressing as he could have wished. "I fear this
will cause a good deal of disappointment, not only to them but to our
revered aunt--for she is very naturally anxious to see her charges
married and settled, and she told me that she more or less counted
upon my aid in the matter. Now as you are here of course I have, thank
Heaven, nothing more to say one way or another. But you will surely
think of asking a few likely young fellows over to the house,
occasionally? We are not badly off for eldest sons in the
neighbourhood; Molly, who is as arrant a little flirt, they tell me,
as she is pretty, will be grateful to you for the attention, on the
score of amusement at least."

Mr. Landale, speaking somewhat at random out of his annoyan