At two o’clock I instructed Maggie to dress my nephews, and at three we started to make our call.  To carry Toddie’s bouquet, and hold a hand of each boy so as to keep them from darting into the hedges for grasshoppers, and the gutters for butterflies, was no easy work, but I managed to do it.  As we approached Mrs. Clarkson’s boarding-house I felt my hat was over one ear, and my cravat awry, but there was no opportunity to rearrange them, for I saw Alice Mayton on the piazza, and felt that she saw me.  Handing the bouquet to Toddie, and promising him three sticks of candy if he would be careful and not drop it, we entered the garden.  The moment we were inside the hedge and Toddie saw a man going over the lawn with a lawn-mower, he shrieked:  “Oh, deresh a cutter-grass!” and dropped the bouquet with the carelessness born of perfect ecstasy.  I snatched it before it reached the ground, dragged the offending youth up the walk, saluted Miss Mayton, and told Toddie to give the bouquet to the lady.  This he succeeded in doing, but as Miss Mayton thanked him and stooped to kiss him he wriggled off the piazza like a little eel, shouted, “Tum on!” to his brother, and a moment later my nephews were following the “cutter-grass” at a respectful distance in the rear.

“Those are my sister’s best children in the world, Miss Mayton,” said I.

“Bless the little darlings!” replied the lady; “I do love to see children enjoying themselves.”

“So do I,” said I, “when I’m not responsible for their well-being; but if the effort I’ve expended on those boys had been directed toward the interests of my employers, those worthy gentlemen would consider me invaluable.”

Miss Mayton made some witty reply, and we settled to a pleasant chat about mutual acquaintances, about books, pictures, music, and the gossip of our set.  I would cheerfully have discussed Herbert Spencer’s system, the Assyrian Tablets, or any other dry subject with Miss Mayton, and felt that I was richly repaid by the pleasure of seeing her.  Handsome, intelligent, composed, tastefully dressed, without a suspicion of the flirt or the languid woman of fashion about her, she awakened to the uttermost every admiring sentiment and every manly feeling.  But, alas, my enjoyment was probably more than I deserved, so it was cut short.  There were other ladies boarding at Mrs. Clarkson’s, and as Miss Mayton truthfully observed at our first meeting, men were very scarce at Hillcrest.  So the ladies, by the merest accident, of course, happened upon the piazza, and each one was presented to me, and common civility made it impossible for me to speak to Miss Mayton more than once in ten minutes.  At any other time and place I should have found the meeting of so many ladies a delightful experience, but now—­

Suddenly a compound shriek arose from the lawn, and all the ladies sprang to their feet.  I followed their example, setting my teeth firmly and viciously, hoping that whichever nephew had been hurt was badly hurt.  We saw Toddie running towards us with one hand in his mouth, while Budge ran beside him, exclaiming:—­