h,
and knew very well where it had been taken.

"Yes, in America."

"All the way to San Francisco," suggested Charley.

"All the way to San Francisco, Charley,--and back again."

"Yes; I know you're come back again," said Charley, "because I see you
here."

"There are only twenty boys this half," said one of the twenty.

"Then I shall have more time to attend to you now."

"I suppose so," said the lad, not seeming to find any special consolation
in that view of the matter.

Painful as this first re-introduction had been, there was not much more in
it than that. No questions were asked, and no explanations expected. It
may be that Mrs. Stantiloup was affected with fresh moral horrors when she
heard of the return, and that the Bishop said that the Doctor was foolish
and headstrong as ever. It may be that there was a good deal of talk
about it in the Close at Broughton. But at the school there was very
little more said about it than what has been stated above.

CHAPTER XII.

MARY'S SUCCESS.

IN this last chapter of our short story I will venture to run rapidly over
a few months so as to explain how the affairs of Bowick arranged
themselves up to the end of the current year. I cannot pretend that the
reader shall know, as he ought to be made to know, the future fate and
fortunes of our personages. They must be left still struggling. But then
is not such always in truth the case, even when the happy marriage has
been celebrated?--even when, in the course of two rapid years, two normal
children make their appearance to gladden the hearts of their parents?

Mr. and Mrs. Peacocke fell into their accustomed duties in the diminished
school, apparently without difficulty. As the Doctor had not sent those
ill-judged letters he of course received no replies, and was neither
troubled by further criticism nor consoled by praise as to his conduct.
Indeed, it almost seemed to him as though the thing, now that it was done,
excited less observation than it deserved. He heard no more of the
metropolitan press, and was surprised to find that the 'Broughton Gazette'
inserted only a very short paragraph, in which it stated that "they had
been given to understand that Mr. and Mrs. Peacocke had resumed their
usual duties at the Bowick School, after the performance of an interesting
ceremony in London, at which Dr. Wortle and Mr. Puddicombe had assisted."
The press, as far as the Doctor was aware, said nothing more on