nd that gentleman, and stretched
himself on the lawn beside Alice's chair. A thrill of pleasure entered
the girl's heart, to her own genuine surprise.

"Are Tam and Jock at peace now?" she asked. "Tam and Jock are never at
peace. Jock is sedate and grave and old for his years, while Tam is
simply a human collie. He has the same endearing manners and
irresponsible mind. I had to fish him out of several rock-pools after
you left."

Alice laughed, and Lady Manorwater said in wonder, "I didn't know you
had met Lewie before, Alice."

"Miss Wishart and I forgathered accidentally at the Midburn yesterday,"
said the man.

"Oh, you went there," cried the aggrieved Arthur, "and you never told
me! Why, it is the best water about here, and yesterday was a
first-rate day. What did you catch, Lewie?"

"Twelve pounds-about four dozen trout."

"Listen to that! And to think that that great hulking chap got all the
sport!" And the boy intercepted his cousin's tea by way of retaliation.

Then Mr. Stocks had his innings, with Lady Manorwater for company, and
Lewis was put through a strict examination on his doings for the past
years.

"What made you choose that outlandish place, my dear?" asked his aunt.

"Oh, partly the chance of a shot at big game, partly a restless interest
in frontier politics which now and then seizes me. But really it was
Wratislaw's choice."

"Do you know Wratislaw?" asked Mr. Stocks abruptly.

"Tommy?--why, surely! My best of friends. He had got his fellowship
some years before I went up, but I often saw him at Oxford, and he has
helped me innumerable times." The young man spoke eagerly, prepared to
extend warm friendship to any acquaintance of his friend's.

"He and I have sometimes crossed swords," said Mr. Stocks pompously.

Lewis nodded, and forbore to ask which had come off the better.

"He is, of course, very able," said Mr. Stocks, making a generous
admission.

His hearer wondered why he should be told of a man's ability when he had
spoken of him as his friend.

"Have you heard much of him lately?" he asked. "We corresponded
regularly when I was abroad, but of course he never would speak about
himself, and I only saw him for a short time last week in London."

The gentleman addressed waved a deprecating hand.

"He has had no popular recognition. Such merits as he has are too aloof
to touch the great popular heart. But we who believe in the people and
work for them have found him a bitt