ly red color, you know, that no one admires; and
his hands, and even his voice, were big."

"What a fascinating description!" laughed Archie. "Upon my word,
Mattie, you are rather tremendous in your language. Well, and what did
the navvy say to you?"

"Oh, he was not a navvy, really! Of course he was a gentleman. He
could not help his big voice, and what he said was nice; but, I assure
you, Archie, he nearly took my breath away;" and so on, and so on, to
the end of her story.

But it was enough to surprise any one whose nerves were not of the
strongest, when one lives in a lonely country road, and the master of
the house is out, to see a gigantic specimen of manhood, not very
carefully dressed, and with hair like a red glory, come suddenly
striding through one's open gate, without "by your leave," or waiting
for any possible permission.

Mattie dropped her umbrella,--for she was dressed in her waterproof,
and her oldest hat, ready for her district-work; and the stranger
picked it up, and handed it to her promptly, and then he removed his
hat politely.

"How do you do, cousin?" he said; and a broad, genial smile revealed a
set of white teeth.

Mattie retreated a step in genuine affright.

"For you know, Archie," she explained afterwards, in her simple way,
"we have no cousins worth mentioning, except Sophy Trinder, who is not
our cousin at all, but mother's; and so you see it sounded so very
odd."

"Very odd indeed," muttered Archie.

"If you please, Mr. Drummond--that is my brother--is out, and I am
going out too," faltered Mattie, who was not a specially heroic little
person, and who decidedly had not got her wits about her just then.

"I do not want Mr. Drummond, whoever he may be. I never heard of him
in my life. I only want my aunt and cousins. Which of them are you,
eh? Why, you must be Nan, I suppose?" And the big man looked down at
her with a sort of supercilious good nature. The name gave Mattie
instant enlightenment.

"Nan!--Oh, you must mean the Challoners!" she exclaimed, with a little
gasp of surprise.

"Yes, of course; I am a Challoner myself. Well, which of them are you,
eh? You are a long time telling me your name." And the new-comer
peered down at her still more curiously, as though he were surprised
to find anything so small and ordinary-looking.

Mattie never looked to advantage in her waterproof. More than once her
brother had threatened to burn the old rag of a thing.

"My name is