and
ferns in their buttonholes. Then the girls presented the gifts they had
made for the beloved uncle; Margaret's book, a fine old copy of the
"Colloquies of Erasmus," bound by her own hands in gold-stamped brown
leather, Peggy's mermaid-penwiper, with a long tail of sea-green sewing
silk, and the pincushion on which Jean had spent many painful hours in
her efforts to make the ferns look like ferns instead of like green hen
feathers. Grace had woven a basket of sweet rushes, of quaint and
graceful pattern, which Mr. Montfort declared was what he had dreamed of
all his life, while Hugh produced a box of wonderful cigars, which had a
history as mysterious and subtle as their fragrance. Lastly, the
Merryweathers, declaring that they had no gift but themselves, and that
if Mr. Montfort would be graciously pleased to accept them, they were
his, proceeded to go through a series of acrobatic performances, which
brought cries of admiration from all the beholders.

While this was going on, Margaret took advantage of the interlude
(though she was loth to lose one of Gerald's graceful postures) to run
out and see if supper was ready. She came back with a rueful
countenance, and whispered to Peggy, "Supper will not be ready for ten
minutes yet, and Frances is in a most frightful temper. She actually
drove me out of the kitchen; said she would not be bothered with foolish
children, and she would not send supper in till Bannan came back, if it
cost her her place."

"Bannan? What has Bannan to do with supper?"

"Bringing something, I suppose; some extra frill she has prepared as a
surprise. She is always savage when she has a surprise on foot. Hark!
There are wheels now. Listen! Yes, they are going round to the back
door. Bannan has come, then, and we may hope for food. Oh, do look at
those boys! Did you ever see anything like that?"

All eyes were fixed on the twins, who, after every variety of separate
antic, now proceeded to perform what they called a patent reversible
waltz. Standing on their hands, they twined their feet together in the
air, and revolved gracefully, moving in unison, and keeping time to the
waltz they whistled. The whole company was watching this proceeding with
such absorbed attention that no one saw the door at the back of the hall
open silently; no one noticed the figure that stole noiselessly
through, and now stood motionless in the doorway. A young woman,
slender, richly dressed, beautiful exceedingly;