r noticed how late it was getting. Missed the last
train, of course, and walked all the way up to London; not a bit sorry,
either, for the night was cool, and there was plenty of starlight; I'd
walk twice as far to spend another such evening. I--I'm thinking of
going down there next Sunday," he added, with a little hesitation.

"Why not?" Lionel said, cordially enough.

"You see," Mangan continued, still rather hesitatingly, "the fact
is--I'm rather in the way of getting illustrated papers--and--and summer
numbers--and children's books--I mean, when I want them, I can get
them--for lots of these things come to the newspaper offices, and
they're not much use to anybody; so I thought I would just make up a
parcel and send it down to Miss Frances, don't you understand, for her
sick children--"

"I dare say you went and spent a lot of money." Lionel said, with a
laugh.

"And she was good enough to write back that it was just what she wanted;
for several of the children--most of them, I should say--couldn't read,
but they liked looking at pictures. And then she was kind enough to add
that if I went down next Sunday, she would take me to see how the things
had been distributed--the pictures hung up on walls, and so
forth--and--and that's why I think I may go down."

"Oh, yes, certainly," Lionel said, though he did not understand why any
such excuse was necessary.

"Couldn't you come down, too, Linn?" Mangan suggested.

"Oh, no, I couldn't, I'm so busy," was the immediate reply. "I'm going
to Scotland the first or second week in August. The doctor advises me to
give my voice a long rest; and the Cunynghams have asked me to their
place in Ross-shire. Besides, I don't care about singing in London when
there's nobody but country cousins, and none too many of them. Of course
I'll have to go down and bid the old folks good-bye before starting for
Scotland, and Francie, too. Mind you tell that wicked Francie that I am
very angry with her for not having come up to see 'The Squire's
Daughter.'"

"Linn," said his friend, after a second, "why don't you take the old
people over to Aix or some such place for a month? They're so awfully
proud of you; and you might take Miss Frances as well; she seems to work
so hard--she deserves a rest. Wouldn't that be as sensible as going to
Scotland?"

"My good chap, I would do that in a moment--I should be delighted," said
he--for he was really a most generously disposed young man, especial