air.

"I suppose she told you we are engaged?" said the latter.

"Engaged!" said the startled Mr. Mott. "Why, she told me she didn't like
men."

"Playfulness," replied Mr. Hurst, with an odd look. "Ah, here she is!"

The handle of the front door turned, and a moment later the door of the
room was opened and the charming head of Miss Garland appeared in the
opening.

"Back again," she said, brightly. "I've just been----"

She caught sight of Mr. Hurst, and the words died away on her lips. The
door slammed, and the two gentlemen, exchanging glances, heard a hurried
rush upstairs and the slamming of another door. Also a key was heard to
turn sharply in a lock.

"She doesn't want to see you," said Mr. Mott, staring.

The young man turned pale.

"Perhaps she has gone upstairs to take her things off," he muttered,
resuming his seat. "Don't--don't hurry her!"

"I wasn't going to," said Mr. Mott.

He twisted his beard uneasily, and at the end of ten minutes looked from
the clock to Mr. Hurst and coughed.

"If you wouldn't mind letting her know I'm waiting," said the young man,
brokenly.

Mr. Mott rose, and went slowly upstairs. More slowly still, after an
interval of a few minutes, he came back again.

"She doesn't want to see you," he said, slowly.

Mr. Hurst gasped.

"I--I must see her," he faltered.

"She won't see you," repeated Mr. Mott. "And she told me to say she was
surprised at you following her down here."

Mr. Hurst uttered a faint moan, and with bent head passed into the little
passage and out into the street, leaving Mr. Mott to return to the
sitting-room and listen to such explanations as Miss Garland deemed
advisable. Great goodness of heart in the face of persistent and
unwelcome attentions appeared to be responsible for the late engagement.

"Well, it's over now," said her uncle, kindly, "and no doubt he'll soon
find somebody else. There are plenty of girls would jump at him, I
expect."

Miss Garland shook her head.

"He said he couldn

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.

William Wymark Jacobs (September 8, 1863 September 1, 1943), was an English author of short stories and novels. He is now best remembered for his macabre tales The Monkeys Paw (published 1902) and The Toll House (in the collection of short stories The Lady of the Barge). However the majority of his output was humorous in tone. His favourite subjects were marine life: men who go down to the sea in ships of moderate tonnage said Punch, reviewing his first collection of stories, Many Cargoes, which achieved great popular success on its publication in 1896.