oung as me, mamma says. When I am as old as you are, or as
Theo, perhaps they will be grown. But I should not like them so big as
yours. When Theo is my tutor I shall tell him what I think; it will be a
fine opportunity. Why, mamma!"

She had him in her arms, kissing and sobbing over him for a moment, till
she could overcome that hysterical impulse. Theo had come from his room
at the sound of the wheels, and the party was all collected in the
drawing-room, the door of which stood open. There was little light,
so that they could scarcely see each other, but Minnie had full time
to remark with horror that Lady Markland did not even wear a widow's
bonnet, or a crape veil, for decency, but had on a mere _hat_,--a straw
hat, with a black ribbon. She put her hand on her heart in the pang of
this discovery, but nobody else took any notice. And, indeed, in the
outburst of the poor lady's thanks and questions, there was no room for
any one else to speak.

"Oh, it was all right," said Geoff, who was in high excitement, the
chief spokesman, and extremely eager to tell his own story before any
one could interfere. "I knew the way quite well. I wanted to see Theo,
you know, to ask him if he really meant it. I wanted to speak to him all
by himself; for Theo is never the same, mamma, when you are there. I
knew which turn to take as well as any one. I wasn't in a hurry; it was
such a nice day. But pony was not interested about Theo, like me, and
he remembered that it was dinner-time. That was all about it. And then
those people in the phaeton gave him a start. It was nothing. I just
popped over his head. There was no danger except that the bays might
have given me a kick; but horses never kick with their forefeet."

Here Lady Markland gave a shriek, and clutched her boy again. "You fell
off, Geoff, among the horses' feet!"

"Oh, it didn't matter, mamma; it didn't matter a bit, Theo caught me,
and tore my knickerbockers (but they're mended now). He bled a great
deal, and I helped Mrs. Warrender to plaster up the cut; but I wasn't
hurt,--not a bit; and my knickerbockers----"

It was Geoff's turn now to pause in surprise, for his mother left
him, and flew to Theo, and, taking his hands, tried to kiss them, and,
between laughing and crying, said, "God bless you! God bless you! You
have saved my boy's life!"

Geoff was confounded by this desertion, by the interruption, by the
sudden cry. He put his hand up to the place where Warrender