ited than themselves. He came. He stepped out of the
fly, paid the cabman, and lounged up the path, lifting his head to nod
in patronising fashion to his adorers. He was no Apollo of beauty, no
Samson of strength, but just an ordinary-looking young man in an
ordinary grey suit, with ordinary irregular features redeemed from
plainness by an expression of quizzical good humour; yet each of the
eight beholders gave a gasp of adoration as she beheld him. His
mother's eyes swam with tears as she embraced her boy; Maud felt a ray
of pure, unselfish happiness; even Lilias overlooked the fact that his
collar was of an unfashionable shape in the delight of meeting. As for
the younger girls, they fell upon him, and hugged and kissed, and kissed
and hugged again, until he was obliged to beat them off with his long
grey arms.

"Now, then! Now, then! Leave a fellow alone! I won't stand being
mauled to death!" cried the ungrateful male, scrubbing his cheek with
his handkerchief, as if contaminated by the touch of so many feminine
lips. "Take it easy, and I'll speak to each in turn, but I can't tackle
the bundle together. Where's Maud? Where's my Maud? Come over here,
Maud, and don't let these youngsters keep you in the background!
Holloa, Nan, what's the matter with your back hair? Done it up, eh?
Doesn't look half so well, you know, but I suppose you take it out in
honour and glory. Best respects, Lilias; how's the young man? You
kiddies are getting too tall--that's what's the matter with you. I
shall feel quite an old man at this rate. Do you mean to say that is
`Cath-er-ine Maitland' I see before me? Kitty, my own! How _large_ you
have grown!"

"Jim, you rude man! Behave, if you can!" retorted Kitty with admirable
promptitude. It was an old habit of these two to converse in couplets,
though Kitty lived in chronic dread of an hour when she should fail to
invent an appropriate reply. Her present success filled her with
satisfaction, and evoked a burst of laughter from her companions; and
though Jim rolled his eyes at her in threatening manner as he entered
the drawing-room, he refrained from a further effort, and devoted his
attention to the admirable tea provided for his benefit. His sisters
waited upon him obsequiously, while his mother sat with folded hands
gloating over the sight of the tall, masculine figure seated in state on
the centre of the sofa. What joy to behold him again--her only son, her
prid