no
right to put us to such inconvenience. I suppose we must have the fish
up again?"

"Miss Drummond desires that you will go on with your dinner, sir,"
observed the maid, entering at that moment. "She has had a late tea,
and will not require anything more."

"Very strange!" fumed Archie; but he was a little pacified by the
message. But Grace slightly elevated her eyebrows with an expression
of surprise. Such independence was new in Mattie.

The brother and sister had adjourned to the drawing-room, and Archie
was about to ring for his coffee, before Mattie made her appearance.

Grace uttered a little exclamation when she saw her sister:

"My dear Mattie, we have no visitors coming in this evening! Why have
you put on your best gown? You extravagant child!" for Mattie had
come into the room rustling in her green silk dress, and her little
dark face glowing from the wind. "She looked almost pretty," as Grace
said afterwards; but at her sister's quizzical observation Mattie
blushed and seemed confused.

"It is no use saving it," she began. "Sir Harry is coming in by and
by. And, oh, Archie! he told me to say it, but I don't know how to do
it." And then, to Archie's intense surprise,--for she had never done
such a thing in her life,--she suddenly threw her arms round his neck.
"Oh, Archie! he says you are never to scold me again,--any of you,"
she sobbed, "because I belong to him now. And he--Sir Harry, I
mean--is so good to me; and I am so happy. And won't you wish me joy,
both of you? And what--what will mother say?" finished Mattie, as
though this were the climax of everything.

"Good heavens, Mattie!" gasped Archie; but he did not shake her off:
on the contrary, he kissed her very kindly. "Do you mean you are going
to marry Sir Harry Challoner?"

"He means to marry me," returned Mattie, smiling, in spite of her
tears; and then Grace came forward, and took her in her arms.

"I am so glad, dear Mattie," she whispered, soothingly. "Of course we
none of us expected it; and we are all very much surprised. Oh, dear!
how happy mother will be!"

"I tell you what," exclaimed Archie, in great excitement, "I will take
you down myself to Lowder Street, and see what she says. They will all
be out of their senses with joy; and, upon my word, Mattie, I never
was so pleased about anything in my life. He is a right-down good
fellow, I am sure of that; and you are not such a bad little thing
yourself, Mattie. There!"