nounced Mr Tooke, of Crofton; and Mr Tooke walked in.

Mrs Proctor had actually to push Hugh to one side,--so directly did he
stand in the way between her and her visitor. He stood, with his hands
still behind his back, gazing up at Mr Tooke, with his face hotter than
the multiplication-table had ever made it, and his eyes staring quite as
earnestly as they had ever done to find Robinson Crusoe's island in the
map.

"Go, child," said Mrs Proctor: but this was not enough. Mr Tooke
himself had to pass him under his left arm before he could shake hands
with Mrs Proctor. Hugh was now covered with shame at this hint that he
was in the way; but yet he did not leave the room. He stole to the
window, and flung himself down on two chairs, as if looking into the
street from behind the blind; but he saw nothing that passed out of
doors, so eager was his hope of hearing something of the Crofton boys,--
their trap-ball, and their Saturday walk with the usher. Not a word of
this kind did he hear. As soon as Mr Tooke had agreed to stay to
dinner, his sisters were desired to carry their work elsewhere,--to the
leads, if they liked; and he was told that he might go to play. He had
hoped he might be overlooked in the window; and unwillingly did he put
down first one leg and then the other from the chairs, and saunter out
of the room. He did not choose to go near his sisters, to be told how
stupidly he had stood in the gentleman's way; so, when he saw that they
were placing their stools on the leads, he went up into the attic, and
then down into the kitchen, to see where little Harry was, to play at
schoolboys in the back yard.

The maid Susan was not sorry that Harry was taken off her hands; for she
wished to rub up her spoons, and fill her castors afresh, for the sake
of the visitor who had come in. The thoughtful Jane soon came down with
the keys to get out a clean tablecloth, and order a dish of cutlets, in
addition to the dinner, and consult with Susan about some dessert; so
that, as the little boys looked up from their play, they saw Agnes
sitting alone at work upon the leads.

They had played some time, Hugh acting a naughty boy who could not say
his Latin lesson to the usher, and little Harry punishing him with far
more words than a real usher uses on such an occasion, when they heard
Agnes calling them from above their heads. She was leaning over from
the leads, begging Hugh to come up to her,--that very moment. Har