ttle note from Miss Darrell,
pressing me to spend a long evening with them, and begging me to bring my
prettiest songs.

I made the rather lame excuse that I was much engaged with my new
patient, and fixed the latest day that I could,--the very last evening
before I was to leave for London. Mr. Hamilton met me a few hours
afterwards, and asked me rather drily what my numerous engagements
could be.

'You are the most unsociable of your sex,' he added, when I had no answer
to make to this. 'I shall take care that you are properly punished, for
neither Cunliffe nor Tudor shall be asked to meet you. Etta was sure you
would like one or both to come, but I put my veto on it at once.'

'Then you were very disagreeable,' I returned laughingly. 'I wanted Uncle
Max very much.' But he only shook his head at me good-humouredly, and
scolded me for my want of amiability.

I determined, when the evening came, that he should not find fault with
me in any way. I was rather in holiday mood; my patient was going on
well, and his mother was a neat, capable body, and might be trusted to
look after him. No other cases had come to me, and I might leave
Heathfield with a clear conscience. Uncle Max would miss me, but an old
college friend was coming to stay at the vicarage, so I could be better
spared. I had seen a great deal of Mr. Tudor lately. I often met him in
the village, and he always turned back and walked with me: he met me on
this occasion, and walked to the gates of Gladwyn. Indeed, he detained me
for some minutes in the road, trying to extract particulars about the
wedding.

'Miss Jocelyn is to be bridesmaid, then?' describing a circle with his
stick in the dust.

'Yes. Poor Sara is afraid that she will be quite overshadowed by Jill's
bigness; she has made her promise not to stand quite close. They have got
a match for her. Grace Underley is as tall as Jill, and very fair. Sara
calls them her night and morning bridesmaids.'

'I think I shall be in London on the fourteenth. I thought, Miss Garston,
that there was a prejudice to weddings in May.'

'Yes; but Sara laughs at the idea, and Colonel Ferguson says it is all
nonsense. I did not know you were coming to town so soon.'

'Some of my people will be up then,' he said absently. 'Perhaps I shall
have a peep at you all; but of course'--rather hastily--'I shall not call
at Hyde Park Gate until the wedding is over.'

I wished he would not call then. What was the good of fee