ns, and the advance party close upon her. A smaller shriek
echoed from the further end of the room where Esther stood, being pinned
up in a calico lining by the hands of the local dressmaker, and the
smallest shriek of all came from the region of the sewing-machine, where
Mrs Asplin let the treadle work up and down by itself, and clasped her
heart instead of the seam. Esther fled precipitately behind a screen,
Mellicent flopped on a chair, and Mrs Asplin cried loudly:

"Go away, go away. Come in, dear boy! Is it really you? What in the
world do you mean by startling us like this?"

"I've told you before, Arthur Saville, that it drives me crazy when
people come suddenly glaring in through the window! You'll kill me
some, day, or turn me into a jibbering idiot, and _then_ you'll be
sorry! Front doors are made to come in by, 'specially--especially when
visitors are with you!" cried Mellicent severely, and at this Mrs
Asplin turned towards Eunice with her sunny, welcoming smile.

"You are Miss Rollo, aren't you, dear? This bad boy had no business to
bring you in here, but I've heard of you so often from Mellicent that
you don't seem like a stranger. We are hard at work preparing for the
wedding, so you must excuse the muddle. We are delighted to see you!"

"Oh, Eunice won't mind. She has heard so much about you too, mater,
that she would have been quite disappointed to have found you sitting in
the drawing-room like any ordinary, commonplace person. Sorry I
startled you! I wouldn't make you jibber for the world, Chubby, so I'll
knock next time, to let you know I'm coming. But where's the bride?
Where's the bride? Is she coming out from behind that screen, or have I
to go and fetch her?"

At that Esther came forth quickly enough, a blue jacket fastened over
the calico lining, and her cheeks aglow with blushes, for here was a
double embarrassment--to face Arthur's banter for the first time since
her engagement, and to be introduced to the great Miss Rollo in a
dressing-jacket! "The great Miss Rollo," however, turned out to be a
simple-looking girl, who looked much more afraid of her companions than
her companions were of her, while when she came face to face with Arthur
he seemed suddenly sobered, and uttered his congratulations in quite a
quiet, earnest voice. Was this Esther? he was asking himself--this
rosy, smiling girl the sober, long-visaged Esther who had seemed so far
removed from youthful romance