s Drummond, I
believe? though not as well as you know me. How is Popples? Oh, there
you are, old fellow,--ready to give me your paw, as usual! Look at
him, Miss Mattie! Now, Mrs. Sparsit," in a coaxing voice, "this lady
is dreadfully tired; and I know your kettle is boiling----" but here
Mrs. Sparsit interrupted him:

"Oh, yes, indeed, Sir Harry; and you shall have some tea directly.
Dear me, Miss Drummond, you do look poorly, to be sure! Let me stir
the fire a little, and draw out the couch. Bettie has gone out to see
her sick mother, Sir Harry; but if you don't mind my leaving you a
minute, while I just brew the tea----" And without waiting for his
answer, the worthy creature bustled off to her tiny kitchen, leaving
Popples to entertain her guests.

Sir Harry closed the door, and then he helped Mattie to divest herself
of her warm jacket, and placed her in a snug corner of the
old-fashioned couch.

"You will be all right directly," he said, as he sat down beside her.
"The wind was too strong; and I was a little sudden: wasn't I,
Mattie?" And now the color began to come into Mattie's face.

Sir Harry found plenty to tell her as Mrs. Sparsit brewed the tea and
prepared the hot buttered cakes.

Mattie shed tears of pure happiness when she heard from his own lips
how good and unselfish and amiable he thought her, and how he had
liked her from the first in a sort of way,--"not quite the right way,
you know," explained Sir Harry, candidly; "but every one was so hard
on you, and you bore it so well, and were such a good little woman,
that I quite longed to stand your friend; and we were friends,--were
we not, Mattie? And then somehow it came to me what a nice little wife
you would make; and so----" but here Mattie timidly interrupted him:

"But Grace,--I thought you liked Grace best!"

Sir Harry laughed outright at this; but he had the grace to look
ashamed of himself:

"So I did like her very much; but I was only trying you, Mattie. I was
not sure how much you liked me; but you seemed such a miserable little
Cinderella among them all that I could hardly keep it up. If they snub
you now, they will have to answer to me." And at this moment Mrs.
Sparsit entered with the tea-tray.

Dinner was nearly over at the vicarage when Mattie's step was heard in
the hall. Archie, who was the soul of punctuality, frowned a little
when the sound reached his ear.

"This is too bad of Mattie," he said, rather fretfully. "She has