A COLLISION. 141

Mother and Aunt are all anxiety to hear
the account of the show, and Father recovers
sufficiently to satisfy their curiosity, and as
I leave the room I overhear him saying:
“Oh, yes, I am certain to get it; it is the
general opinion, and I must say I was sur-
prised myself even at the beauty of the
flowers: they have improved, wonderfully
even in my short absence.”

Mother and Aunt look in a scared, bewil-
dered sort of manner towards me, but I take
not the smallest notice of either of them,
and hastening out of the room, bound up-
stairs to my own, and tearing off my hat
and gloves, fling them on to the bed and rush
down again, out into the garden in search of
Jack.

I have not turned the corner of the path,
however, when clang goes the gong, and
as I am to be promoted to the dinner-table
this evening, in consequence of having
missed the school-room tea, I fly back again
in hot haste for fear of being late.

I enter the hall in such a flurry that I