is young fellow, and it was like old times to see
him seated at the tea-table and to listen to his merry rattling voice.

"The dominie must grant a general holiday to-morrow," he declared, "and
we will do something fine to celebrate the occasion. We'll have out
this wonderful camera in the morning and take some groups. You and I
must be taken together, Peggy, to send out to the parents. You promised
to send me copies of all the things you took, but you are as false in
that respect as the whole race of amateur photographers. They are grand
hands at promising, but they never, by any chance--Hallo! What's that?
My cup over? Awfully sorry, mater, really! I'll put a penny in the
missionary-box. Was it a clean cloth?"

"Oh, my dear boy, don't apologise! I should not have felt that it was
really you if you had not knocked your cup over! To see the table-cloth
swimming with tea all round convinces me that it is Arthur himself, and
nobody else! Tut, tut! What does a table-cloth matter?" And Mrs
Asplin beamed upon her favourite as if she were really rather delighted
than otherwise at his exploit.

It was a merry, not to say noisy, meal which followed. Peggy's lost
spirits had come back with the first glimpse of Arthur's face; and her
quips and cranks were so irresistibly droll that three separate times
over Mellicent choked over her tea, and had to be relieved with vigorous
pounding on the back, while even Esther shook with laughter, and the
boys became positively uproarious.

Then Mr Asplin came in, and Arthur was carefully concealed behind the
window-curtains, while he was asked whom he would most like to see if
the choice were given him. In provoking manner he mentioned at once a
brother in Australia, and, when informed that relatives were not on the
list, recollected an old college chum who was out in the Mauritius.

"Oh dear, what a stupid man!" cried his wife in despair. "We don't mean
the friends of your youth, dear! Think of the last few years and of
your young friends! Now, if you could choose, whom would you--"

"Arthur Saville!" said the vicar promptly, upon which Arthur made a
loophole between the curtains and thrust his mischievous face through
the gap, to the vicar's amazement and the uproarious delight of the
onlookers. A dozen questions had to be asked and answered about
studies, examinations, and health, while Peggy sat listening, beaming
with happiness and pride.

It came as quite a sho