mple piece of business if
Ann had not made such a mountain of it; packing every tray half a dozen
times over, and going down-stairs three times about every article that
was to come up from the laundry.

Happily she was not to go with me any farther than the boat. Richard
was away again on business--had been gone, indeed, since the day after
we had driven in the Park: so I was to be put on board the boat, and
left in charge of Kilian, his younger brother, who had called at my
uncle's office, and made the arrangement with him. I had never seen
Kilian, and the meeting filled me with apprehension; my uncle, however,
sent up one of his clerks in the carriage to take me to the boat, and
put me in charge of this young gentleman. This considerate action on the
part of my uncle seemed to fill up the measure of my surprises.

When we reached the boat, the clerk, a respectful youth, conducted me to
the upper deck, and then left me with Ann, while he went down about
the baggage.

With all our precautions, we were rather late, for the last bell was
ringing; Ann was in a fever of impatience, and I was quite uncertain
what to do, the clerk not having returned, and Mr. Kilian Vandermarck
not having yet appeared. Ann was so disagreeable, and so disturbing to
all thinking, that I had more than once to tell her to be quiet. Matters
seemed to have reached a crisis. The man at the gangway was shouting
"all aboard;" the whistle was blowing; the bell was ringing; Ann was
whimpering; when a belated-looking young man with a book and paper under
his arm came up the stairs hurriedly and looked around with anxiety. As
soon as his eye fell on us, he looked relieved, and walked directly up
to me, and called me by name, interrogatively.

"O yes," I said eagerly, "but do get this woman off the boat or we'll
have to take her with us." "Oh, no danger," he said, "plenty of time,"
and he took her toward the stairs, at the head of which she was met by
the clerk, who touched his hat to me, handed the checks to Mr.
Vandermarck, then hurried off with Ann. Mr. Vandermarck returned to me,
but I was so engrossed looking over the side of the boat and watching
for Ann and the clerk, that I took no notice of him.

At last I saw Ann scramble on the wharf, just before the plank was drawn
in; with a sigh of relief I turned away.

"I want to apologize for being so late," he said.

"Why, it is not any matter," I answered, "only I had not the least idea
what to d