bt Miss Rensworth and her friends were
more amusing than your poor sick Mammy. I suppose it was selfish of me
to want to have you all to myself. If you would like to go back to your
Aunt Rennie again, dear child." I added, "you have only to say so."

What Tabitha said in reply I shall never forget; but neither, friendly
reader, shall I tell it to you. So you must be content with knowing that
we were friends again; and that the end of it was that I gave in about
John Chambers--as his name turned out to be--just as I had given in
about the bicycle.

He came in just as we were having tea the next day, and the worst of it
was, I had to admit at once that he _was_ nice. Of course this proved
nothing in regard to Aunt Rennie and her friends: and it was just as
unreasonable that I should be expected to receive whoever happened to
know her, as if he had turned out to be vulgar or odious. But, as it
was, he introduced himself in a sensible, straightforward way, looked
one straight in the face when he spoke, had a deep, hearty laugh that
sounded manly and true, and evidently entertained the friendliest
sentiments for Tabitha.

Well, as you will imagine, kind reader, that tea was not the last he had
with us. He fell into our ways with delightful readiness; indeed, he was
rather "old-fashioned," as I call it. He would pour out my second cup of
tea, if Tabitha happened to be out of the room, as nicely as she herself
could have done, carefully washing the tea-leaves out of the cup first;
and he would tell Tabitha if a piece of braid were hanging down from her
skirt, when they were going bicycling together. We got quite used to
being kept in order by him in all kinds of little ways, and he grew to
be so associated with the idea of Tabitha in my mind, that my affection
for her became in a sort of way an affection for them both. The only
thing was that, as the months went on, I began to wonder why more did
not come of it. Sometimes I fancied I noted a reflection of my own
perplexed doubts crossing Tabitha's sweet, expressive face, and I
questioned within myself whether I ought (like the fathers in books) to
ask the young man about his "intentions," and imply that he could not
expect an unlimited supply of my cups of tea, unless they were made
clear: but I think that my own delicacy as well as common sense
prevented my taking such a course, and things were still _in statu quo_,
when one morning, as I was peacefully mending Tabitha's gl