Just what Mary feared she could not have told; but she knew something of this Selwyn spirit, and had often heard it said that the Selwyn tongue could cut like a lash when once started.  That the Ryders deserved the sharpest cut of this lash she fully believed; but, “Oh, I do hope Marian won’t say anything sharp now,” she thought to herself.  And it was then, just then, at that very moment, that she saw Marian’s face change again, as the softest, sweetest, kindest of smiles beamed from lips and eyes, and the softest, sweetest, kindest of voices said,—­

“How do you do, Mary?  I’m very glad to see you,—­you know my cousins, Bertie and Laura;” and in the next breath, “How do you do, Miss Jocelyn?  It’s very nice to see you here.—­Bertie, Laura, this is my friend Angela Jocelyn, who is going to make one of our charade party next month if I can persuade her.”

One of that May-day charade party!  Mary opened her eyes very wide at this, and Angela wondered if she were awake.  But the charming voice was now speaking to some one else,—­was saying very politely without a touch of sharpness, but with a world of meaning to those who had the clew, and those only,—­

“How do you do, Lizzy?  How do you do, Nelly?  And, Nelly, I want to thank you for a real service in connection with my birthday invitations.  But for you I should have missed a very welcome guest.  I shall never forget this, you may be sure.”

“I—­I—­” But for once Nelly Ryder’s ready speech failed her.  Her cousin tried to take up her words, tried to say something about April fun, tried to smile, to laugh; but the laugh died upon her lips, and she was only too glad to move on with Nelly into the room beyond, and there, out of the range of observation for a moment, the two expressed their astonishment and dismay at Marian’s knowledge, and wondered how she came by it.

“But to think of her taking an April joke so seriously as to make much of Angela Jocelyn just to come up with me!” burst out Nelly.

“And to think,” burst out Lizzy, with a sly laugh, “that it is you who have introduced Angela to Marian’s good graces, and that it is you, after all, who have been made the April fool, and not Angela!”

THE THANKSGIVING GUEST.

CHAPTER I.

“It is such a lovely idea, such a truly Christian idea, Mrs. Lambert.  How did you ever happen to think of it?”

“Oh, I did not think of it; it wasn’t my idea.  Didn’t you ever hear how it came about?”

“No; do tell me!”