out you," said Dick. "Soon have something else
to do, eh? Don't blush. I won't tell anybody. Look here, we'll play golf
this morning. We laid out quite a decent little course in the park last
autumn. And in the afternoon we'll have a picnic."

"Oh, preserve us!" said Humphrey.

"Oh, do let us have a picnic," said Angela.

"It will be like old times," said Beatrice.

"We'll go to Blackborough Castle," said Dick, "and take the twankies. We
must give them a little fun. Siskin, how about a picnic?"

Mrs. Birket was telling Mrs. Clinton that Beatrice's engagement would be
announced when they returned to London. "She is young," she said, "but
both the girls are older in mind than in age."

"You have educated them well," Mrs. Clinton said. She looked across the
room at the two handsome, smiling girls, and at her own pretty daughter,
who had not been very well educated and was not older in mind than in
age. But just then the gong sounded, every one took their seats, the
Squire came in with a hearty "Good-morning! Good-morning!" which
greeting his assembled family and guests might take and divide amongst
them, and the proceedings of the day began.

Later in the morning Angela and Beatrice, Dick and Humphrey were
actively engaged at lawn tennis. Cicely was sitting under a great lime
on the lawn waiting for her turn. The twins, having discovered an
unusually congenial companion in their uncle, had carried him off
somewhere out of sight, and Cicely was alone for the moment. A voice
behind her, "Hullo, Cicely!" made her start, and then she sprang up.
"Jim!" she cried. "How jolly to see you back! I thought you would come
over this morning."

The game had to be interrupted while the returned traveller was
welcomed. "You look as fit as a fiddle, old boy," said Dick. "You'll be
able to stay at home and enjoy yourself now, I hope. Will you play when
we've finished this? I can lend you a pair of shoes."

"No thanks," said Jim. "I'll talk to Cicely." So the others went back on
to the lawn.

"Come and have a stroll round," Jim suggested; and Cicely, with a
half-regretful glance at the tennis lawn, rose to go with him.

They went to the rhododendron dell round the lake. It was where every
one went naturally if they wanted to walk and talk at the same time.
Jim's honest, weathered face was very frequently turned towards Cicely's
fair, young one, and there was a light in his eyes which made her turn
hers away a little confusedly w