lder sister,
with a salvo of Christian benignity.

But it is so hard for little children to be pleasant with fence and
limitation.

"Where must I stop?" Lily had asked in her simplicity. "When they
give me a piece of their luncheon, or when they walk home from
school, or when they say they will come in a little while?"

But there came a message back from Boston by the eleven o'clock
train on the morning of the Tuesday with a little "t," from Mr.
Marchbanks himself, to say that his brother and Mr. Geoffrey would
come up with him to dinner, and to desire that carriages might be
ready afterward for the drive over to Waite's grove.

Mrs. Marchbanks marveled, but gave her orders. Arthur came out
early, and brought with him his friend Archie Mucklegrand, and these
two were bound also for the merry-making.

Now Archie Mucklegrand was the identical youth of the lavender
pantaloons and the waxed moustache, whom Desire, as "Miss Ledwith,"
had received in state a year and a half ago.

So it was an imposing cavalcade, after all, from West Hill, that
honored the very indiscriminate pleasure party, and came riding and
driving in at about six o'clock. There were the barouche and the
coupe; for the ladies and elder gentlemen, and the two young men
accompanied them on horseback.

Archie Mucklegrand had been at West Hill often before. He and
Arthur had just graduated at Harvard, and the Holabirds had had
cards to their grand spread on Class Day. Archie Mucklegrand had
found out what a pretty girl--and a good deal more than merely
pretty--Rosamond Holabird was; and although he might any day go
over to his big, wild Highland estate, and take upon himself the
glory of "Sir Archibald" there among the hills and moors,--and
though any one of a good many pretty girls in Spreadsplendid Park
and Republic Avenue might be induced, perhaps, if he tried, to go
with him,--all this did not hinder him from perceiving that up
here in Z---- was just the most bewitching companionship he had
ever fallen in with, or might ever be able to choose for himself
for any going or abiding; that Rosamond Holabird was just the
brightest, and sweetest, and most to his mind of any girl that he
had ever seen, and most like "the woman" that a man might dream
of. I do not know that he quite said it all to himself in
precisely that way; I am pretty sure that he did not, as yet; but
whatever is off-hand and young-mannish and modern enough to
express to one's self