later by Lawrence, who had stayed to
smoke a cigarette.

"The worst of it is," he said, standing before the fire, "you never
know quite where you are with Mark."

"I suppose," suggested Carrissima, "the simple fact of the matter is
that he missed his train."

"In that case," returned her brother, "surely he might have run to
sixpence for a telegram. For a steady-going fellow Mark is about as
erratic as they're made."

"How extremely inconsistent!" exclaimed Carrissima.

"Not at all!" said Lawrence, frowning, as he took a chair. "A man may
drive crookedly without exceeding the limit. Although there are things
you can swear Mark would never dream of doing, you never know what
folly he will be up to next."

As Lawrence was speaking in his rather pompous manner, the door opened
and Mark Driver entered the room: tall, broad-shouldered, with a
handsome, alert, shaven face and an obvious appearance of haste.

On leaving Cambridge he had gone to Saint Bartholomew's, and having
completed his course there, taken a post as House Surgeon at Saint
Josephine's, a small hospital in a southeastern suburb. Mark remained
there two years and left at Christmas; after spending a few weeks idly
in London he went to take charge of Doctor Bunbury's practice in
Yorkshire, principally for the sake of being near to his own people,
and having passed two months, more occupied by sport than patients,
returned this afternoon.

"Why didn't you come in time for dinner?" demanded Phoebe, as he kissed
her cheek.

"Upon my word, I am most awfully sorry," he replied, and turned at once
to Carrissima, who was striving to hide her satisfaction on seeing his
face again. Never, perhaps, during their long acquaintance, had they
been so many months apart; but while Mark was in London between
Christmas and his departure for the North of England, Carrissima had
been on a long visit to Devonshire.

"I didn't expect to meet you this evening," said Mark. "Phoebe told me
in her letter last week that you were staying in Shropshire with
Colonel Faversham."

"So I was," returned Carrissima. "But I never had the least intention
to live there for the remainder of my life."

"She took us all completely by surprise," explained Phoebe, "by coming
home the day before yesterday."

"I really cannot understand even now," said Lawrence, "why in the world
you couldn't stay to return with father!"

"Oh well, it's an ill-wind that blows no one any good," cr