he added, "come and exert yourself; and help to pull
these forms out of the way," setting to work vigorously at the same
time, himself.

In another minute or two we were in the middle of a wild romp, wherein
little Miss Pimpernell and the vicar were the most active participants--
they showing themselves to be quite as active as the younger hands;
while Miss Spight and Lady Dasher were the only idle spectators. Min at
first did not join in, as she was not accustomed to the ways of us old
habitues, but she presently participated, being soon as gay and noisy as
any. What fun we had in blindfolding Horner, and manoeuvring so that he
should rush into the arms of Miss Spight! What a shout of laughter
there was when he exclaimed, clasping her the while, "Bai-ey Je-ove!
Yaas, I've cawght you at lawst!"

The look of pious horror which settled on the face of the elderly maiden
was a study.

Thus our working day ended; and it became time to separate and go home.
I had the further happiness of seeing Min to her door, both of us living
in the same direction.

It was the same on the morrow, and on the morrow after that, for a whole
week.

Of course, we did not talk "Shakspeare and the musical glasses" always.
Our discourse was generally composed of much lighter elements,
especially when Mr Mawley and I did not come in contact--argument being
then, naturally, as a dead letter. Our conversation during these
peaceful interregnums mainly consisted in friendly banter, parish news,
and gossip. Scandal Miss Pimpernell never permitted; indeed, no one
would have had the heart to say an ill-natured thing of anybody else in
her presence.

Day after day Min and I were closely associated together, learning to
know more of one another than we might have acquired in years of
ordinary society intercourse; day after day, I would watch her dainty
figure, and study her beautiful face, and gaze into the fathomless
depths of her honest grey eyes, my love towards her increasing by such
rapid strides, that, at length, I almost worshipped the very ground on
which she trod.

And so the week wore by, until Christmas Eve arrived. Then our task was
finished, and we decorated Saint Canon's old church with all the wreaths
and garlands, the crosses and illuminations, on which we had been so
busy in the school-room; making it look quite modern in its festal
preparation for the ensuing day, when the result of our handiwork would
be displayed to the