“Oh yes; that’s of course.  I’m sure Harry will feel that.  He used, you know, to—­to—­that is, not just to like him, because he is a free-selector.”

“They’ll drop all that now.  Of course they could not be expected to know each other at the first starting.  I shouldn’t wonder if they became regular friends.”

“That would be nice!  After all, though you may be so happy at home, it is better to have something like a neighbor.  Don’t you think so?”

“It depends on who the neighbors are.  I don’t care much for the Brownbies.”

“They are quite different, Mary.”

“I like the Medlicots very much.”

“I consider he’s quite a gentleman,” said Kate.

“Of course he’s a gentleman.  Look here, Kate—­I shall be ready to welcome Mr. Medlicot as a brother-in-law, if things should turn out that way.”

“I didn’t mean that, Mary.”

“Did you not?  Well, you can mean it if you please, as far as I am concerned.  Has he said any thing to you, dear?”

“No.”

“Not a word?”

“I don’t know what you call a word; not a word of that kind.”

“I thought, perhaps—­”

“I think he meant it once—­this morning.”

“I dare say he meant it.  And if he meant it this morning, he won’t have forgotten his meaning to-morrow.”

“There’s no reason why he should mean it, you know.”

“None in the least, Kate; is there?”

“Now you’re laughing at me, Mary.  I never used to laugh at you when Harry was coming.  I was so glad, and I did every thing I could.”

“Yes, you went away and left us in the Botanical Gardens.  I remember.  But, you see, there are no Botanical Gardens here; and the poor man couldn’t walk about if there were.”

“I wonder what Harry would say if it were to be so.”

“Of course he’d be glad—­for your sake.”

“But he does so despise free-selectors!  And then he used to think that Mr. Medlicot was quite as bad as the Brownbies.  I wouldn’t marry any one to be despised by you and Harry.”

“That’s all gone by, my dear,” said the wife, feeling that she had to apologize for her husband’s prejudices.  “Of course one has to find out what people are before one takes them to one’s bosom.  Mr. Medlicot has acted in the most friendly way about these fires, and I’m sure Harry will never despise him any more.”

“He couldn’t have done more for a real brother than have his arm broken.”

“But you must remember one thing, Kate, Mr. Medlicot is very nice, and like a gentleman, and all that.  Bat you never can be quite certain about any man till he speaks out plainly.  Don’t set your heart upon him till you are quite sure that he has set his upon you.”

“Oh no,” said Kate, giving her maidenly assurance when it was so much too late!  Just at this moment Mrs. Growler came into the kitchen, and Kate’s promises and her sister’s cautions were for the moment silenced.