s of age, his father and mother left England, and
although that was nearly six years ago, they had not been back since.

Jimmy had lived with his Aunt Ellen at Chesterham until he came to
school, but afterwards his holidays were spent with another uncle and
aunt in London.

His mother wrote to him every month, nice long letters, which Jimmy
always answered, although he did not always know quite what to say to
her. But last month there had come no letter, and the month before that
Mrs. Wilmot had said something about seeing Jimmy soon.

When he heard the other boys talk about their fathers and mothers and
sisters it seemed strange that he did not know what his own were like.
For you cannot always tell what a person is like from her photograph;
and although his mother looked young and pretty in hers, Jimmy did not
know whether she was tall or short or dark or fair, but sometimes,
especially after the gas was turned out at night, he felt that he should
very much like to know.

On Monday evening, whilst Jimmy was sitting at the desk in the
school-room sticking some postage-stamps in his Album, he was told to go
to the drawing-room, where he found Miss Rosina sitting beside a large
fire.

'Is your name Wilmot?' she asked, for she had not learnt all the boys'
names yet.

'James Orchardson Sinclair Wilmot,' he answered.

'A long name for such a small boy,' said Miss Rosina. 'It is very
strange,' she continued, 'that all the boys' parents have answered my
letters but yours.'

'Mine couldn't answer,' said Jimmy.

'Why not?' asked Miss Rosina.

'Because they live such a long way off.'

'I remember,' said Miss Rosina; 'it was to your uncle that I wrote. I
asked him to send someone to meet you at Victoria Station at one o'clock
to-morrow. But he has not answered my letter, and it is very
inconvenient.'

'Is it?' asked Jimmy solemnly, with his eyes fixed on her face.

'Why, of course it is,' said Miss Rosina. 'Suppose I don't have a letter
before you start to-morrow morning! I shall not know whether any one is
coming to meet you or not. And what would Miss Roberts do with you in
that case?'

'I don't know,' answered Jimmy, beginning to look rather anxious.

'I'm sure I don't know either,' said Miss Rosina. 'But,' she added, 'I
trust I may hear from your uncle before you start to-morrow morning.'

'I hope you will,' cried Jimmy; and he went back to the school-room
wondering what would happen to him if his Uncle H