Year: 1878




think. Where are you living ?"


Six miles from here, at Grasshill. F."
Grasshill ? Do you know Mr.
Stenhouse there 20


Every well'


"Then get him to drive you over
when you go to my father's-you could
not have better introduction = and do
not say anything about me at all. The
thing is to make favorable impression
before they know what Mr.. King you
are. 1 could talk my father over, and
even my uncle and aunt, but L am
afraid of Jock; he'll stand out against
you. He sees every side of anything,
and he never was in love when he is it
will be with woman made to order
Now you are to go away; as tea-man
never come back"


Jock came over to Stonylea the same
evening; he had been from home for
some weeks, and had only returned that
day.


"Well, Lizzie,' he said, "what have
you been about all this timer You are
looking well-a trihe pale maybe, but
bright"


CT am very well indeed" she said,
and then relapsed into silence not usual
with her.


"And how is your pupil Hebe getting
on?"


swell" she said, it is very uphill
work teaching her; I'm thinking of
giving her up"


81 wouldn't do that if were YOU"
said Jock: Il would persevere. You
would not master foreign language
yourself in few months, and
book learning is a foreign language to
her."


But / would find out if she had any
aptitude for mastering it, and go on or
give it up accordingly. People can't do
everything, and why waste time on
what they have no taste for, and may
never need ? don't mean ever to part
with Hebe if can help it, but throw
up the sponge about her education"


"That's always the way with wom-
en-, said Jock. "They begin a thing
with no end of enthusiasm, and if it
does not succeed in moment, down
they throw it."


He spoke with displeasure in his
voice.


But, Jock, be reasonable" said his
sister. Hebe is a first-class servant,
and as bright and happy as a human be-
ing can be- she'll be of far more use in
house than score of people who can
read and write to perfection-in fact, lit
erary servants are bore - and what's
the use of forcing the little creature to
what she doesn't care for Y''


"Was it not your scheme to make her
a companion for yourself?"


" Yes it was, but have changed my
mind; 1 think she'll be as happy and
more useful as she is.'


"There's something now in the wind ;
what's your next hobby to beY If L
were you 1 would go on; would drive
pegs into her mind to hang information
on, SO that she wouldn't forget. See,
there's some gloves brought for you !;
if you were to give her a pair of them
and tell her they were bought in Lon
don, that would be another peg. L
think 1 could be good teacher"


:" don't doubt you would Many
thanks for the gloves-a whole dozen
but they are too fine for Hebe we
must remember her station.''


g To be sure" said Jock. 6 1 didn It
think of that"


Mr.. King improved his introduction
to the Elliots into pretty intimate ac-
quaintanceship and as he was densely
ignorant of Dresden, he was not for a
moment suspected of being the original
Mr.. King, so that prejudice did not ar
ray itself against him and thus, having
fair field, he soon won plenty of favor.
Jock and Sibyl took him over to Stony
lea and introduced him to Lizzie as an
acquaintance they were rather proud to
have made, and he and Miss Elliot went
through the introduction with gravity
that left nothing to be desired.


Mr.. King was of opinion that the time
was ripe for revealing their plans, but
Lizzie thought differently; she was still
afraid of Jock and she felt that by meet
ing as strangers she and Mr.. King were
getting deeper in the mire than ever
Her brother would think the artist pos