“A surprise party!” cried Huldy, “who for?  Me?”

At this moment Mrs. Mason opened the door and entered the room.

“Huldy,” said she, “Professor Strout wishes me to tell you that he and his friends have come to give you a surprise party, and he wished me to invite you,” turning to the others, “as Huldy’s friends to remain and enjoy the festivities of the evening.”

Then the poor old lady, who had been under a nervous strain for the past ten days, and who had come nearer telling untruths than she ever had before in her life, began to laugh, and then to cry, and finally sank into a chair, overcome for the moment.

“I wish Abraham was here,” said she, “I guess I’m getting a little bit nervous.”

Let us return to the great kitchen, which the members of the surprise party now had in their possession.  A dozen of the men produced lanterns, which they lighted, and which were soon hung upon the walls of the kitchen, one of the number having brought a hammer and some nails.

It was a pound party, and two young men fetched in a basket containing the goodies which had been brought for the supper.  Strout had made arrangements to have the hot coffee made at the grocery store, and it was to be brought down at half-past nine.

He arranged his party so that all could get a good view of the door through which Huldy must come.  He stepped forward within ten feet of the door and stood expectantly.  Why this delay?  Strout looked around at the party.  There were Tilly James and Sam Hill; Cobb’s twins, and each brought a pretty girl; Robert Wood, Benjamin Bates, and Arthur Scates were equally well supplied; Lindy Putnam, after much solicitation, had consented to come with Emmanuel Howe, the clergyman’s son, and he was in the seventh heaven of delight; Mandy stood beside Hiram and his bugle, and Samantha Green had Farmer Tompkins’s son George for escort.  It was a real old-fashioned, democratic party.  Clergymen’s sons, farmers’ sons, girls that worked out, chore boys, farm hands, and an heiress to a hundred thousand dollars, met on a plane of perfect equality without a thought of caste, and to these were soon to be added more farmers’ sons and daughters and the only son of a millionaire.

“Just give them a call,” said Strout, turning to Hiram, and the latter gave a blast on his bugle, which sent fingers to the ears of his listeners.  The handle of the door turned and opened and Huldy entered, her mother leaning upon her arm.

They were greeted by hand clapping and cries of “Good evening” from the party, and all eyes were fixed upon Strout, who stood as if petrified and gazed at the three figures that came through the open door and stood behind Huldy and her mother.  Hamlet following the fleeting apparition on the battlements of the castle at Elsinore, Macbeth viewing Banquo at his feast, or Richard the Third gazing on the ghostly panorama of the murdered kings and princes, could not have felt weaker at heart than did Professor Strout when he saw the new-comers and realized that they were there by his express invitation.