y from William, to say the ship is signalled," said
the Colonel, to quieten her; but his own voice trembled with anxiety.

"Nothing can have happened, Richmond, can it?" said Mrs. Parsons, her
cheeks blanching again at the idea.

"No, no! Of course not! How silly you are!" The telegram was brought in
by the servant. "I can't see without a light," said the Colonel.

"Oh, give it me; I can see quite well."

Mrs. Parsons took it to the window, and with trembling hand tore it
open.

"_Arriving to-night; 7.25._--JAMIE."

Mrs. Parson looked for one moment at her husband, and then, unable to
restrain herself, sank on a chair, and hiding her face with her hands,
burst into tears.

"Come, come, Frances," said the Colonel, trying to smile, but half
choked with his own emotion, "don't cry! You ought to laugh when you
know the boy's coming home."

He patted her on the shoulder, and she took his hand, holding it for
comfort. With the other, the Colonel loudly blew his nose. At last Mrs
Parsons dried her eyes.

"Oh, I thank God that it's all over! He's coming home. I hope we shall
never have to endure again that anxiety. It makes me tremble still when
I think how we used to long for the paper to come, and dread it; how we
used to look all through the list of casualties, fearing to see the
boy's name."

"Well, well, it's all over now," said the Colonel cheerily, blowing his
nose again. "How pleased Mary will be!"

It was characteristic of him that almost his first thought was of the
pleasure this earlier arrival would cause to Mary Clibborn, the girl to
whom, for five years, his son had been engaged.

"Yes," said Mrs. Parson, "but she'll be dreadfully disappointed not to
be here; she's gone to the Polsons in Tunbridge Wells, and she won't be
home till after supper."

"That is a pity. I'm afraid it's too late to go and meet him; it's
nearly seven already."

"Oh, yes; and it's damp this evening. I don't think you ought to go
out."

Then Mrs. Parsons roused herself to household matters.

"There's the supper to think of, Richmond," she said; "we've only the
rest of the cold mutton, and there's not time to cook one of to-morrow's
chickens."

They had invited three or four friends to dinner on the following day to
celebrate the return of their son, and Mrs. Parsons had laid in for the
occasion a store of solid things.

"Well, we might try and get some chops. I expect Howe is open still."

"Yes, I'll send Betty out.