d that accounts perhaps for my peaceful
disposition." He had a sudden sense as he spoke that he was talking as
if to an undergraduate in friendly irony. To his surprise and pleasure
he saw that his thought had translated itself.

"I suppose that is how you talk to your pupils," said the girl,
smiling; "I recognise that--and that's what makes it easy to talk to
you as Jack does--it's like an easy serve at lawn-tennis."

"I am glad it is easy," said Howard, "you don't know how many of my
serves go into the net!"

"Lawn-tennis!" said Mr. Sandys from the other side of the room.
"There's a good game, Howard! I am not much of a hand at it myself, but
I enjoy playing. I don't mind making a spectacle of myself. One misses
many good things by being afraid of looking a fool. What does it
matter, I say to myself, as long as one doesn't FEEL a fool? You will
come and play at the vicarage, I hope. Indeed, I want you to go and
come just as you like. We are relations, you know, in a sort of way--at
least connections. I don't know if you go in for genealogy--it's rather
a hobby of mine; it fills up little bits of time, you know. I could
reel you off quite a list of names, but Mrs. Graves doesn't care for
genealogy, I know."

"Oh, not that!" said Mrs. Graves. "I think it is very interesting. But
I rather agree with the minister who advised his flock to pray for good
ancestors."

"Ha! ha!" said Mr. Sandys, "excellent, that; but it is really very
curious you know, that the further one goes back the more one's
ancestors increase. Talk of over-population; why if one goes back
thirty or forty generations, the world would be over-populated with the
ancestors of any one of us. I remember posing a very clever
mathematician with that once; but, as a fact, it's quite the reverse,
one finds. Are you interested in neolithic men, Howard? There are
graves of them all over the down--it is not certain if they were
neolithic, but they had very curious burial customs. Knees up to the
chin, you know. Well, well, it's all very fascinating, and I should
like to drive you over to Dorchester to look at the museum there--there
are some questions I should like to ask you. But we must be off. A
delightful evening, cousin Anne; a delightful evening, Howard. I feel
quite rejuvenated--such a lot to ponder over."

Howard went to the door to see them off, and was rewarded by a parting
smile from Maud, which made him feel curiously elated. He went back to
the