claimed, when the first greetings had been exchanged. "It is a most
surprising thing."

It is possible that the incident would not have struck her as so very
astonishing after all, had she known that Tom had spent six hours a day
for the last fortnight in blockading the entrances to Eccleston Square.

"Most remarkable!" said the young hypocrite. "You see, I haven't
anything to do yet, so I walk about London a good deal. It was a lucky
chance that sent me in this direction."

"And how is the doctor?" Kate asked eagerly. "And Mrs. Dimsdale, how is
she? You must give my love to them both."

"How is it that you have never been to see us?" Tom asked reproachfully.

"Mr. Girdlestone thinks that I have been too idle lately, and that I
should stay at home. I am afraid it will be some little time before I
can steal away to Kensington."

Tom consigned her guardian under his breath to a region warmer even than
the scene of that gentleman's commercial speculations.

"Which way are you going?" he asked.

"I was going to Victoria Street to change my book, and then to Ford
Street."

"What a strange thing!" the young man exclaimed; "I was going in that
direction too." It seemed the more strange, as he was walking in the
opposite direction when she met him. Neither seemed inclined to make
any comment upon the fact, so they walked on together. "And you have
not forgotten the days in Edinburgh yet?" Tom asked, after a long pause.

"No, indeed," his companion answered with enthusiasm. "I shall never
forget them as long as I live."

"Nor I," said Tom earnestly. "You remember the day we had at the
Pentlands?"

"And the drive round Arthur's Seat."

"And the time that we all went to Roslin and saw the chapel."

"And the day at Edinburgh Castle when we saw the jewels and the armoury.
But you must have seen all these things many times before? You could
not have enjoyed it as much as we did for the first time."

"Oh yes, I did," Tom said stoutly, wondering to himself how it was that
the easy grace with which he could turn compliments to maidens for whom
he cared nothing had so entirely deserted him. "You see, Kate-well--you
were not there when I saw them before."

"Ah," said Kate demurely, "what a beautiful day it is? I fancied in the
morning that it was going to rain."

Tom was not to be diverted from his subject by any meteorological
observations. "Perhaps some time your guardian will allow the dad to
take yo