said, looking around
on his cousins' bright faces with a glow of honest satisfaction on his
own. "It made a fellow feel precious lonely out there, I can tell
you."

"You ought to have married, Harry," suggested Dulce.

"I never thought any one would care for such a great hulking fellow,"
he returned, simply; "and then the girls over there were not to my
taste. Besides, I never thought of it; I was too busy. I am going to
take a holiday now, and look about me a little; and when you and Aunt
Catherine are settled, I may have a try myself at some one," he
finished, with a big laugh.

This notion amused the girls immensely, then and afterwards. They
began to talk of the future Lady Challoner. Nan proposed one of the
Paines. Phillis thought if Grace Drummond were only as sweet-looking
as her photograph he could hardly help falling in love with her. And
Dulce was of opinion that Adelaide Sartoris, handsome and queenly as
she was, would not consider a baronet beneath her. They confided all
these thoughts to Sir Harry, who thanked them quite gravely for their
interest and promised to consider the matter. He even wrote down the
names in his pocket-book one after another.

"Adelaide Sartoris, did you say? Ah, we had an Adelaide at Sydney, a
little, dark thing, with hair blown all over her temples, and such a
pair of mischievous eyes: that girl was always laughing at me,
somehow. And yet she seemed sorry to bid me good-bye."

"Perhaps she was in love with you?" observed Dulce. But Phillis
frowned at this. She thought they had gone too far in their jokes
already with a cousin who was such a complete stranger. But he
returned, quite gravely,--

"Well, now, you know, such a thing never came into my head. I talked
to her because a fellow likes to be amused by a lively girl like Miss
Addie. But as to thinking seriously of her--well, I could not stand
that, you know to be laughed at all one's life; eh, Miss Mattie?" And
Mattie, at this appeal, looked up with round, innocent eyes, and said,
"Certainly not," in such an impressive tone that the other girls burst
out laughing.

They all went home after that. Sir Harry escorted his cousins and
Mattie to the Friary, and then returned to his hotel to dinner. But
the girls, who were in a merry mood, would not part with Mattie. They
sent her home to put on her green silk dress, with strict orders that
she was to return as soon as possible.

"We are all going to make ourselves pretty,"