y had been arranged between them, and Mr. MacFie had accepted it
with the nearest approach to pleasure that he ever permitted himself.
Miss MacFie, his sister and housekeeper, had sniffed; but it was
always difficult to discriminate between Miss MacFie's physical and
mental sniffs. During the winter she seemed to suffer from a perpetual
cold in the head. It sometimes attacked her in the spring and autumn,
so that only during the months of June, July and August could one say
with any degree of certainty that Miss MacFie's sniffs meant
indignation and not an inflamed membrane.

In commemoration of his long ministry at the Alton Road Chapel, the
Rev. Mr. Sopley was to receive an illuminated address, a purse of
fifty pounds and a silver-mounted hot-water bottle. For reasons of
economy the presentation was to be made on the same occasion as the
conversazione inaugurating the pastorate of Mr. MacFie. This
conversazione had been delayed for some months, as Miss MacFie had
been forced to remain behind at Barton Bridge in order to recover from
a particularly severe chill, and also to arrange for the letting of
the house.

In the meantime Mr. MacFie had taken lodgings in Fulham, thus freeing
Mr. Sopley, whose health for some time past had not been good. It had
been arranged, however, that the retiring shepherd should be present
at the celebration in order to receive the address, the purse and the
silver-mounted hot-water bottle.

Lady Knob-Kerrick had consented herself to make the presentation, and
a glee-party had been arranged for to entertain the guests. It had
first been suggested that the services should be engaged of a man who
produced rabbits out of top-hats, and omelettes from ladies' shoes;
but it had been decided that such things were too secular for the
occasion.

Lady Knob-Kerrick had insisted that the words of the glees should
first be submitted to her, and a lengthy correspondence had taken
place between her and the leader of the glee-party. The first list had
been vetoed in its entirety. One item, entitled "Oh! Hush Thee My
Baby," was considered by Lady Knob-Kerrick as not quite nice; it might
make the young girls feel self-conscious. Another one of a slightly
humorous nature referred to a man's "bleeding nose." Lady Knob-Kerrick
had written to the leader of the glee-party in uncompromising terms
upon the indelicacy of submitting to her so coarse a composition.
After a brisk interchange of letters, a programme