t after I had once seen it, and forget to ask
any one else while you were away, or wait for you to come. Oh, I have
no excuse. I have been very careless, but here it has been all the
time. I wish you would find out about the people; there must be some
one belonging to them--some friend, perhaps, to whom we could give it.
This is one of the things that I wish to have done, and to forget.
Just take it back, or write some letters first: you will know what to
do. I should like to have the people understand."

"I'll see about it at once," said Tom, with great zest. "I believe you
couldn't have spoken at a better time. I have been thinking of going
down to Virginia this very week. I hear that they are in a hurry with
fitting out that new scientific expedition in Washington that I
declined to join, and they want me to come on and talk over things
before they are off. One of the men is a Virginian, an awfully good
fellow; and then there's Clendennin, my old chum, who's in Washington,
too, just now; they'll give me my directions; they know all Virginia
between them. I'll take the cup along, and run down from Washington
for a few days, and perhaps get some shooting."

Tom's face was shining with interest and satisfaction; he took the cup
and again held it under the candle-light. "How pretty this old chasing
is round the edge, and the set of the little handles! Oh, here's the
motto! What a dear old thing, and enormously old! See here, under the
crest," and he held it toward Mrs. Burton:--

_"Je vous en prie Bel-ami."_

Mrs. Burton glanced at it with indifference. "Yes, it is charming, as
you say. But I only wish to return it to its owners, Tom."

_"Je vous en prie Bel-ami."_

Tom repeated the words under his breath, and looked at the crest
carefully.

"I remember that your grandfather said it belonged to the Bellamys,"
said his grandmother. "Of course: how could I forget that? I have
never looked at it properly since the day I first saw it. It is a
charming motto--they were very charming and distinguished people. I
suppose this is a pretty way of saying that they could not live
without their friends. I beg of you, Belami;--it is a quaint fancy;
one might turn it in two or three pretty ways."

"Or they may have meant that they only looked to themselves for what
they wanted, _Je vous en prie Bellamy!_" said Tom gallantly. "All
right; I think that I shall start to-morrow or next day. If you have
no special plans," he