sir?" turning to young Clarke. " Show
me the way. I'll not have a
whisper, not a breath——"

The Doctor, in great agitation, hurried
up the winding path, the others following,
and after some minutes climbing along the
by-ways, came upon the lost pair seated on a
little bench. Katey was half rising, a scared
look upon her face, the young man, with
his face turned to hers, eagerly holding
her dress, and speaking very earnestly.
Both started as the others came up.
Katey's face was suddenly dyed with guilty
blushes, as was also her companion's. The
Doctor seized her arm with a "This is fine
work!" and walked away down to where
the carriages were getting ready. The
picnic was breaking up. The Doctor
treated the young man with the most
ceremonious politeness; but his air was awfully
stern and chilling. The colonel, officers,
and Mr. Randall Morrison, soon learned
the cause of this change, and the latter was
coolly scornful to his friends on the matter.
"Excellent: but far too much overdone!"
And then the colonel giving him a seat
home, he entertained that officer and others
with a disquisition on the Leader family
and its state. How they hoped soon to
obtain a peerage or baronetcy, and were
very great people.

"Now this country-town practitioner is
all very well, and an amusing fellow in his
way. And nothing is more natural than
that he should try and take in a young man
of fortune for those clever daughters of
his; but I, as Mrs. Leader's brother, could
hardly sanction such a thing."

The colonel said, of course not; and the
others added that Peter was uncommon
clever and scheming. For thus are these
delightfully comic fellows invariably sacrificed
on the first convenient altar. Their
dearest claret and punch friends will sell
them for a twopennyworth, as it were, or
for some little appeal that flatters vanity.

The barouche and greys trundled home,
an almost funereal and guilty party. The
Doctor was polite, but reserved, keeping
his arms folded, and occasionally whistling
in that attitude. The young man was
silent and awed; while Polly, still glowering,
darted almost fierce and passionate
glances at her sister. At last they reached
their own houses. The Doctor took leave
of the young man ceremoniously, and
whispering "I'll see you later," followed his
own daughters in.

Then what a storm! He found Polly
like a tragedy queen, tramping about the
room, weeping—upbraiding—now in a
burst of hysterical passion on the sofa, and
sobbing, "Oh, the treachery! the mean,
cowardly, deceitful, treachery of it!" Katey
frightened, pale, and not able to speak.

"Just step down with me to the study,
Katey," said the Doctor.

"Not till she is exposed—her mean
treachery exposed!  Oh, but we'll be
disgraced! I'll publish it, and——"

"Whist! don't make such a fool of
yourself, or worse, make a row. Step
down at once, Katey, and you stay there."
In the study, with quite a changed manner,
and setting himself in his arm-chair, Peter
said: "Now, my pet, out with it all."

"Indeed, papa, it was not my fault, as
I hope for the sight of dear heaven,"
and her devotional eyes went upwards.
"And indeed, Peter, you might kill me this
moment, if I had even a thought or suspicion
of it. Not but that I thought him
a little odd sometimes; but, indeed——"
(Katey always laid stress on that second
syllable, and a very pretty cadence it gave
to her voice.)

"Now," said the Doctor, calmly, " don't
think I'm angry with you, my pet: on
the contrary; but tell all that happened—
out of the face, as they say over there,"
the Doctor's fashion of alluding to his
native country.

"When we went away after dinner,"
said Katey, obediently, " and began to
ascend up to the Lovers' Leap, I went on
with him, and Polly was to follow behind,
at a little distance, with Tom Clarke."

"What in the name of goodness," the
Doctor exclaimed, in wonder, " was that
for?"

Katey blushed. " Why, you see, Peter,
it was my doing. And that is what makes
me appear so mean and treacherous to her.
I told her that I would talk to him of
her, and tell him how she loved him, and
thought of him, and dreamed of him, and
was suited to him, when, oh," and Katey
burst into a flood of tears, "he did not
mind what I was saying, not a word, but
told me—that—that——"

"Out with it, pet," the Doctor said,
complacently.  " Don't be afraid. I'll help you
through.  He told you that all along he
was after you, eh?"

"Oh, yes! it is terrible, isn't it, Peter?"

"Not a bit of it! What's there terrible?
Heaven bless you for it, and prosper you for
making your father's heart leap and skip, in
a way it's been stranger to for many a day."
Katey started back.  " But you don't