dcastle's elbow, as that worthy advanced to a
central spot between the bonfires, cleared his throat ominously, and
pirouetted solemnly around, holding up his hand to attract general
attention.

"My friends," began Mr. Hardcastle, swelling with the importance of the
moment to even more than his usual rotundity, "this has been a day of
days to me. All of you who are parents will appreciate my feelings of
mingled pride and humility,--of pride and humility," repeated Mr.
Hardcastle, pleased with the antithesis, and swaying gently back and
forth, "as I stand here before you with my son, the boy whom I have
watched over from his cradle up with an unsleeping eye, and whose tender
feet"--Dick here stooped over to inspect those honest, able members. Jake
did the same with evident disapproval of them. Mr. Hardcastle raised his
voice--"whose tender feet I have endeavored from his youth up, so far as
lay in my limited power, to guide in the way that I hope he may never
depart from. This boy I now present to you, friends, a man,--this boy who
has grown up among you, whom you all know, and whom I hope you all harbor
some kindly feeling for,--this boy,"--he put out his hand to draw him
forward, Dick gave Jake a gentle push toward the hand and vanished, and
Mr. Hardcastle, quite unconscious of the manoeuvre, drew the grinning
Jake solemnly up to him, and casting around a look of triumph which
seemed to say: Do better than this, friends, if you can, placed his hand
on Jake's shoulder with his grandest air, and continued, sonorously,--"my
son, ladies and gentlemen,--my son Dick."

There was a moment's pause of consternation among the guests and a
suppressed scream from the defrauded Mother Dexter. Mr. Hardcastle
slowly turned his radiant face toward his supposed son, and immediately
dropped his hand and exclaimed, in entirely altered and most natural
tones of amazement: "Well, I never! How in the world did _you_ get here,
Jake Dexter?"

A shout instantly went up all round; even Mr. Hardcastle himself was
overcome with the ludicrousness of the mistake, and further solemnity
being impossible, a signal was given, and from a barge far out on the
water a score of rockets shot hissing into the air, announcing the
beginning of fireworks. A brilliant display of these followed, closing
the evening's entertainment, and immediately afterward a large raft was
towed up to the landing, and the whole merry party embarked and returned
to Joppa togeth