“Uncle Harry,” said Budge, “’twas real good of the Lord to let you be with us, else Toddie might have been drownded.”

“Yes,” said I, “and I shouldn’t have much—­”

“Ocken Hawwy,” cried Toddie, running impetuously toward me, pulling me down, and patting my cheek with his muddy black hand, “I loves you for takin’ me out de water.”

“I accept your apology,” said I, “but let’s hurry home.”  There was but one residence to pass, and that, thank fortune, was so densely screened by shrubbery that the inmates could not see the road.  To be sure, we were on a favorite driving road, but we could reach home in five minutes, and we might dodge into the woods if we heard a carriage coming.  Ha!  There came a carriage already, and we—­was there ever a sorrier-looking group?  There were ladies in the carriage, too—­could it be—­of course it was—­did the evil spirit, which guided those children always, send an attendant for Miss Mayton before he began operations?  There she was, anyway—­ cool, neat, dainty, trying to look collected, but severely flushed by the attempt.  It was of no use to drop my eyes, for she had already recognized me; so I turned to her a face which I think must have been just the one—­unless more defiant—­that I carried into two or three cavalry charges.

“You seem to have been having a real good time together,” said she, with a conventional smile, as the carriage passed.  “Remember, you’re all going to call on me tomorrow afternoon.”

Bless the girl!  Her heart was as quick as her eyes—­almost any other young lady would have devoted her entire energy to laughing on such an occasion, but she took her earliest opportunity to make me feel at ease.  Such a royal hearted woman deserves to—­I caught myself just here, with my cheeks growing quite hot under the mud Toddie had put on them, and I led our retreat with a more stylish carriage than my appearance could possibly have warranted, and then I consigned my nephews to the maid with very much the air of an officer turning over a large number of prisoners he had captured.  I hastily changed my soiled clothing for my best—­not that I expected to see any one, but because of a sudden increase in the degree of respect I felt toward myself.  When the children were put to bed, and I had no one but my thoughts for companions, I spent a delightful hour or two in imagining as possible some changes of which I had never dared to think before.

On Monday morning I was in the garden at sunrise.  Toddie was to carry his expiatory bouquet to Miss Mayton that day, and I proposed that no pains should be spared to make his atonement as handsome as possible.  I canvassed carefully every border, bed, and detached flowering plant until I had as accurate an idea of their possibilities as if I had inventoried the flowers in pen and ink.  This done, I consulted the servant as to the unsoiled clothing of my nephews.  She laid out their entire wardrobe for my inspection, and after a rigid examination of everything I selected the suits which the boys were to wear in the afternoon.  Then I told the girl that the boys were going with me after dinner to call on some ladies, and that I desired that she should wash and dress them carefully.