edn't
laugh, I tell you I should be _terrible_! I feel as if I could face a
whole regiment myself. The spirit--the spirit of my ancestors is in my
breast, Arthur Reginald, and woe betide that enemy who tries to wrest
from me my native land!" Peggy went off into a shriek of laughter, in
which Arthur joined, until the sound of the merry peals reached Mrs
Asplin's ears as she lay wearily on her pillow, and brought a smile to
her pale face. "Bless the dears! How happy they are!" she murmured to
herself; nor even suspected that it was a wholesale massacre of foreign
nations which had been the cause of this gleeful outburst.

Arthur left the vicarage on Tuesday evening, seemingly much refreshed by
the few days' change, though he still complained of his head, and
pressed his hand over his eyes from time to time as though in pain. The
parting from Peggy was more cheerful than might have been expected, for
in a few more weeks Christmas would be at hand, when, as he himself
expressed it, he hoped to return with blushing honours thick upon him.
Peggy mentally expended her whole ten pounds in a present for the dear
handsome fellow, and held her head high in the consciousness of owning a
brother who was destined to be Commander-in-Chief of the British forces
in the years to come.

The same evening Robert returned from his visit to London. He had heard
of Peggy's escapade from his father and sister, and was by no means so
grateful as that young lady had expected.

"What in all the world possessed you to play such a mad trick?" he
queried bluntly. "It makes me ill to think of it. Rushing off to
London on a wet, foggy night, never even waiting to inquire if there was
a return train, or to count if you had enough money to see you through!
Goodness only knows what might have happened! You are careless enough
in an ordinary way, but I must say I gave you credit for more sense than
that."

"Well, but, Rob," pleaded Peggy, aggrieved, "I don't think you need
scold! I did it for you, and I thought you would be pleased."

"Did you indeed? Well, you are mightily mistaken; I wouldn't have let
you do a thing like that for all the microscopes in the world. I don't
care a rap for the wretched old microscope."

"Oh! oh!"

"In comparison, I mean. Of course I should have been glad to get it if
it had come to me in an ordinary way, but I was not so wrapped up in the
idea that I would not have been reasonable, if you had come to me