rty at the Paines' on one of these days, but at the last minute they had excused themselves. Nan's prettily-worded note was declared very vague and unsatisfactory, and o

alone, looking ve

ning, she explained in rather a confused way: they

her awkwardly, that it was on business; her mother was not well,-oh, very far from wel

that something lay behind. They went out in the garden, however, and chose sides for their game of tennis; and, though Dulce had never

on of a second game. "No, we will not stay any longer," observed Isabella Twentyman, kissing the gi

ite know how it is," added Miss Sartoris, good-nature

as they walked down the village street, s

d Sophy Paine would have money. "None of them will have to work," said poor Dulce sorrowfully to herself: "they can go on playing tennis an

Sartoris, as soon as they were out of sight of the cottage; "no one has seen anythi

uniary embarrassment at the bottom. "Poor little thing, she did seem rather subdued. How many people do you

tain her friends, Nan and Phill

ore three. They went first to 70 Beach House,-a small unpretending house on the Parade, k

pretty nearly filled, she told them proudly; the drawing-room had bee

tle side parlor where you could have your tea and breakfast." And when Nan had thanked her, and suggeste

Nan pleaded for one turn on the Parade. She wanted a gl

les and gleams of light, and white sails glimmered on the horizon. Some boatmen were dragging a boat down the beach; it grated noisily over the pebbles. A merry party were about to embark,-a

houses with the green before them and that sweet Sussex border of soft feathery tamarisk, and then past the cricket-field, and down to the white

ey passed. Nan's sweet bloom and graceful carriage always attracted notice; and Phillis, alt

hite moustache, who was standing at the Library door waiting for his daughter to make some p

by;" and Miss Middleton smiled as she took her father's arm, for she was slightly lame. She knew strangers always

lis, when they had passed. "She was quite young,

than she looks," retu

e was far too busily engaged iden

, looking over a strip of garden-ground full of marigolds! "Marigolds-all-in-a-row Cottage," she had named it in her home letters. It was nearly opposite t

the low stone walls with grassy mounds slopping from them, and a belt of shr

ins; a white house stood far back. There were two or three other houses, and a cottage dotted dow

away from the town, and that our neigh

with placid opposition. "It is a pity, under the circumstances, t

when it suddenly opened, and a tall, grave looking young man, in clerica

hen they had gone a few steps. "You know poor old Dr. M

clergyman still standing by the green door watching them. "It is a shabby, dull old house in front; but I remember that when mother and I returned Mrs. Mu

used before another green door, set in a long blank wall; "for here we are at the

regrets, would be left outside when they crossed the threshold? The thought of the empty rooms, not yet swept and garnished, made her shiver: the upper windows looked blank

ately, as they went up the little flagged path, bordered with lilac-bushes. "It feels like a minia

hat made it dark and decidedly damp. This brought them to a little lawn, with tall, rank grass that might have been mown for hay, and some side-beds full of old fashioned flowers, such as lupins and monkshood, pinks and

and beyond this a small kitchen-garden, with abundance of gooseberry and cur

after our dear old Glen Cottage garden!" And in sp

ngs,-and I don't deny they are horrid,-and put all the rest away, between lavender, on the

it would look when the lawn was mown, and all the weeds and oyster-shells re

ttage," she remarked, with a wave of her hand: "it only wants training and nailing up.

rk. The kitchen came first: it was a tolerable-sized apartment, with two

he name of Friary was well given to this gruesome cottage; but she cheered up when Phillis opened cupboards

garden: one had three windows, and

s. "Oh, what an ugly paper, Nan! but we can easily put up a prettier one. The smaller room must be where we live and take our meals: it is not qu

m in the cottage; it was decidedly low, and the windows were not plate-glass, but she thought that o

ed wardrobe in the recess behind the door. It is really a magnificent piece of furniture, and in a work-room it would not be so out of place; we could hang up the finished and unfinished dresses in it out of the dust. And we could have the little drawing-room chiffonnier between the windows for our pieces, and odds and ends in the cupboards.

ice, when they had exhausted its capabilities; and, though the second parl

couch that their mother so much affected, and their favorite chairs and knick-kna

eerful one was, of course, allotted to their mother, and the next in size m

, was for hurrying on to Beach House; but Phillis insisted on calling at the Library. She wanted to put some questions to Miss Milner. To-

followed Phillis into the shop, where good-nat

ver the counter. The same young clergyman they had before noticed had just bought a local paper,

is paper at once. "Miss Monks was a tolerable fit, but, poor thing! she died a few weeks ago; and Mrs. Slasher, who lives over Viner's the haberdasher's, cannot ho

inaudible; but the young lady who was

en, and I am anxious to procure her work-" and then she looked at Nan, and hesitated; "that is, if you are not very particular," she add

Miss Milner, gratefully. "Shall I w

rned Nan, hurriedly, feeling awkward for the first time in her life.

ll in again, Miss Milner, to-morrow morning, and then I will explain what it is we really want. We are in a hurry n

y plain, but with an odd, comical face; and she was dressed so dowdily and with such utte

she belongs to him?" she asked Nan, as

slowly in the strangers' footsteps. "That is just your way, Mattie, interfering and meddling in other folks' affairs. Why

a sharp little pecking voice that seemed to match her, somehow; for she was not unlike a bright-ey

r, in an annoyed voice. "What would Grace say to see what a fright you make of yourself? It is a sin and a shame for a

compliments, for she merely pinned her

s Mrs. Langley had better make me a dress too," with a laugh, for, in spite of her sharp voi

of recommending a person like Mrs. Langley to tho

tely; for, if there was one thing upon which she prided herself, it was her good sense. "Th

n restored him to instant good humor. "If you cannot see the difference between that frumpish gown of yours, with

gown," returned M

e was a very active, bustling little person, who had done a great deal of tough work in her day, but she never could be made to see that

er, who loved feminine grace and repose,-whose tastes were fastidious and somewhat arbitrary. And so it was poor Mattie had more censure than praise, and wrote home piteous letter

?" exclaimed Nan, when they were at last discussing the muc

nearly empty; but some children's voices sounded from the green space before the houses. The brown sail of a fishing craft d

n a moment's reprieve; the corners of

man was peeping at us between the folds of his paper. He seemed a nice-looking, gentlemanly sort of man. Do you think that queer little lad

rked Nan, absently, who had

andsome, and looked rather distinguished. You know I always take stock of people,

hey placed themselves at the open window, and began to talk about the business of next day; and, in discussing cupboards an