The Rosary

hese days in town had seemed insufferably long. Jane reviewed them thoughtfully, and sought the reason. They had been filled with interes

at in front of her. Jane was considering her Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, and wondering why they had merely been weary stepping-stones to Friday. And here was Friday at last, and once in the train en route for Shenstone, she began to fee

e; and SUCH music! I have been suffering from a surfeit of music, and the miss of it has given me this blank feeling of

tion, Jane took up the SPECTATOR, and was soon ab

also there for the maid and baggage; and, without losing a moment,

ing carted in. There was an ecstasy in the songs of the birds and a transporting sense of sweetness about all the sights and scents of the countr

e like the bass of a tune-something so solid and satisfactory and beneath one in case of a crisis. I hate crises. They are so tiring. As I say: Why can't things always go on

gainst overhanging masses of honeysuckle and wild clematis. Jane snatched a spray of the clematis, in passing. "'Trav

to me. I am so afraid of her putting Dal off. He is so fastidious. I have promised Billy anything, up to the half of my kingdom, if he will sit at the feet of Mrs. Parker Bangs and listen to her wisdom, answer her questions, and keep her away from Dal. Billy is being so abjectly devoted in his attentions to Mrs. Parker Bangs that I begin to have fears lest he intends asking me to kiss him; in which case I shall hand him over to you to chastise. You manage these boys so splendidly. I fully believe Dal will propose to Pauline Lister tonig

iss Lister. She is just the girl for him, and she will soon adapt herself to his ways

h wild roses in her hair. I cannot imagine why Dal did not rave. But perhaps it is a g

dene. But it means a lot to him. He takes marri

ff a list of names.

it hot or dull before. I feel a renegade. Ah! there is the lovely little church! I want to hear the new o

t. But I judged it wiser to leave them alone when I played for the children's service o

e composition peda

things underneath, like foot-rests, which star

his head and shout, if she told him of this conversation.

, Jane, dear mamma has been quite CORDIAL lately. By the time I am seventy and she is ninety-eight I think she will begin to be almost fond of me. Here we are. Do notice Lawson. He is new, and such a nice man. He sings so well, and plays the concertina a little, and teaches in the Sunday-school, and speaks really quite excellently at temperance meetings. He is extremely fond of mowing the lawns, and my maid tells me

ted stepping from a comfortable seat in a barouche. Jane looked with interest at the man-servant who came forward and deftly assisted them. He had not qui

s, and I found he so very much preferred being in the house, so I have arranged for him to understudy Lawson, and he is growing side whiskers. I shall have to break it to Michael on his return from Norway. This way, Jane. We have put you in the Magnolia room. I knew you would enjoy the view of the lake. Oh, I forgot to tell you,

lothes, and have done so to-day, as you see. I wil

sque group under the white and scarlet chestnut-trees. Beyond, on the beautifully kept turf of the court, an exciting set was in progress. As she approached, Jane could distinguish Garth's slim, agile

core stood at five to four in Ronnie's favour; but this game was Garth's serv

he saw a vacant one near Myra. She was greeted with de

ent up. Garth had

instantly shrieks of astonishment and surprise again arose. Garth h

e. However; it gives us the bliss of watching another set. They

whole crowd, that it was the sight, out of the tail of his eye, of a tall grey figure moving quietly along the line of chairs, which for a moment or two set earth and sky whirling, and made a confused blur of net and lines. As a matter o

nie was serving, and fighting hard to make it games-all. Over and over enthusiastic partisans of both shouted "Deuce!"

at her feet. "I should say it has gone on long enough. And they must both be wanting

not naturally kind. Now, if I had been playing against Ronnie

Bangs, approvingly; while Jane leaned ov

et. "Deuce! deuce!" shou

marked Mrs. Parker Bangs, "ev

dly; looking up at her with an e

y naughty words when I play. I always say 'G

Billy's rapt gaze at Mrs

e. Yes, I dare say you WILL miss the finish," she added in a stern whisper

s, three minutes later and laid the parasol in Lady Ingleby's lap. "You promised me anythin

"and get out of the light! We missed

, and once again Ronnie's arm swu

ied a voice, amid

shot out like a flash of lightning. The ball touched ground on Ronnie's side of the net and shot the

, the flush of a well-contested fight on their handsome faces. It h

in were in her keeping. He paused a moment to take them up and receive her congratu

u do, Miss

ld make so vast a difference. And yet how perfect that it should be so; and that they should both realise it, now the day had come when he intended to tell her how desperately he wanted her always. Yes, that they should BOTH realise it-for he felt certain Jane had also experienced the blank.

to Jane, and she answered it quite frankly and fully. She wanted above all things to tell him exactly how she did; to hear all about himself, and compare notes on the happenings of these three interminable days; and to

least I am every moment improving in health

r chair and deposited himself full length on

mly on the grass so near his hand. "Nothing was wrong with London," replied Jane frankly; "it was hot and dusty of cour

s conversation would have been exactly to the point had they been alone. But was Jane really going to announce to t

ed Mrs. Parker

lmost shot them into her lap in the haste with which he handed

muffins; then looked down at the top of G

only a dullard is dull.' But I diagnosed my dulness in the train

it was, after all, possible for a complete and overwhelming experienc

ault, my dear

re was a deep flush on his sunburned fa

l dissipation such as I had never known before, and I missed it to a degree which

e billiard-room. That is where I hold the practices for the men and maids. I could not make up my mind which makers I really preferred, Erard, Broadwood, Collard, or Bechstein; so by degrees I collected one of each

Jane. "I fancy Dal and I

by, "you might attend some of the rehearsals for this 'service of song' they are gett

icit, than go within a mile of a 'ser

ell done, as I am sure this will be if Lady Ingleby's people are in it. Lawson outlined it to me this morning, and hummed all the principal airs. It is highly dramatic. Robinson Crusoe-no, of course not! What's the

only that in her own heart was the remembrance of the evening at Overdene when she f

with you," said Mrs. Parker Ba

mpty chair near Myra. "I agree with Miss Champion about 'ser

We will be victimised together. And perhaps Dal and Lawson will succeed in converting us to the cult of the 'servic

amme was punctuated by the stentorian BOO of the fog-horn every thirty seconds. You never heard anything so cute as the way it came in, right on time. A man with a deep bass voice sang ROCKED IN THE CRADLE OF THE DEEP, and each time he reached the refrain, 'And calm and peaceful is my sle-eep,' BOO went the fog-horn, casting a certain amount of doubt on our expectations of peaceful sleep that night, anyway. Then a man with a sweet tenor sang OFT IN THE STILLY NIGHT, and the fog-horn showed us just how oft, namely, every thirty seconds. But the queerest effect of all was when a girl had to play a piano-forte solo. It was something of Chopin's, full of runs and trills and little silvery notes.

lked with so much charm and animation. She glanced down, trying to see the admiration in his eyes; but his head was bent, and he was apparently absorbed in the occupation of tracing the broguing of her shoes with the long stalk of a chest

g-horn is the sort of thing you don't ever get used to. It sounds worse every time. Let's each tell the funniest thing we remember at a concert. I once heard a youth recite Tennyson's Charge of

not to ma

ot to do

T TO REAS

d I doubt whether many of the audience

me of our troops returned from South Africa. The proceedings concluded by the singing of the National Anthem right through

ice, singing lustily, and taking special pains to get the pronouns correct throughout

nd HIS p

HIS knavis

said Lady Ingleby. "Are you

, and the day, and call a whole pewful

at comes next? Final for couples? Oh, yes! Dal, you and Miss Lister play Colonel Loraine and Miss Vermount;

d put her very best and loveliest into every detail of each. The only fault which could possibly have been found with the idea of them wedded, was that her dark, slim beauty was so very much just a feminine edition of his, that they might easily have been taken for brother

ther,-she and Garth alone,-Jane said, simply: "Da

arth replied; "only be more

d Miss List

d. "What made you s

DAY! oh! doesn't it seem weeks ago?-y

ner to-night, when all the games and amusements are in full swing, and we can escape unobserved, will you come out onto the terrace with me, where I shall be able to speak to you without fear of interruption? The moonlight

t feel free to tell me anything you wish, and pr

d Garth very low, "and you shall

feet to the old-fashioned garden, with quaint box-bordered flower-beds, winding walks, and stone fountains. Beyond, a stretch of smooth lawn sloping down to the lake, which now lay, a silver mirror, in the soft evening light. The stillness was so perfect; the sense of peace, so al

a wicker seat just beneath her window, and sat there, smoking meditatively. The fragrance of his cigarette reached Jane, up among the magnolia blossoms. "'Zenith,' Marcovitch," she said to herself, and smiled. "P

enced humming below his breath; then gradually brok

ne to sing the

beaming in my

elf an eavesdropper. She hastily picked a large magnolia leaf and, leaning out, let i

ow lest other casements should be open, "I-up here. Yo

about it," remarked G

Master Garthie, because you know how truly I care.

erect, looking up at her,

have heaps to say to you which cannot be

ity! What next?' as Aunt 'Gina would say. Run along and change your pinafore, Master Gart

will come out here this evening, Miss Champ

e anxious to tell me everything than I am to hear it. Oh! the scent of these magnolia

imsical little smile; the

is taking it very seriously. And how about her? Ah! I hope she cares enough, and in the right way.-Come in, Matthews! And you can put out the gown I wore on the night of the concert