t a blessing 'ealth is.
What should we do without it, I wonder?"

She leaned back in her chair and shook her head at the prospect. There
was an awkward lull, and in the offended gaze of Miss Nugent Mr. Hardy
saw only too plainly that he was held responsible for the appearance of
the unwelcome visitor.

"I was coming to see you," he said, leaving his chair and taking one near
her, "I met your brother coming along, and he introduced me to Mrs.
Kybird and her daughter and suggested we should come together."

Miss Nugent received the information with a civil bow, and renewed
her conversation with Dr. Murchison, whose face showed such a keen
appreciation of the situation that Hardy had some difficulty in masking
his feelings.

"They're a long time a-coming," said Mrs. Kybird, smiling archly; "but
there, when young people are keeping company they forget everything and
everybody. They didn't trouble about me; if it 'adn't been for Mr. 'Ardy
giving me 'is arm I should never 'ave got here."

There was a prolonged silence. Dr. Murchison gave a whimsical glance at
Miss Nugent, and meeting no response in that lady's indignant eyes,
stroked his moustache and awaited events.

"It looks as though your brother is not coming," said Hardy to Miss
Nugent.

"He'll turn up by-and-by," interposed Mrs. Kybird, looking somewhat
morosely at the company. "They don't notice 'ow the time flies, that's
all."

"Time does go," murmured Mrs. Kingdom, with a glance at the clock.

Mrs. Kybird started. "Ah, and we notice it too, ma'am, at our age," she
said, sweetly, as she settled herself in her chair and clasped her hands
in her lap "I can't 'elp looking at you, my dear," she continued, looking
over at Miss Nugent. "There's such a wonderful likeness between Jack and
you. Don't you think so, ma'am?"

Mrs. Kingdom in a freezing voice said that she had not noticed it.

"Of course," said Mrs. Kybird, glancing at her from the corner of her
eye, "Jack has 'ad to rough it, pore feller, and that's left its mark on
'im. I'm sure, when we took 'im in, he was quite done up, so to speak.
He'd only got what 'e stood up in, and the only pair of socks he'd got to
his feet was in such a state of 'oles that they had to be throwed away.
I throwed 'em away myself."

"Dear me," said Mrs. Kingdom.

"He don't look like the same feller now," continued the amiable Mrs.
Kybird; "good living and good clothes 'ave worked wonders in 'im. I'm
sure if he'd