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you did your hair and all; and he said was it like gold all round about your head, and she said yes, and he said he knowed then it was Miss Marguerite, and Peggy she said, 'I am just glad; that's my name.' Didn't you, Peggy? And he said why so it was, he didn't think of that afore, and he give her a new sixpence, didn't he, Peggy? Oh! he is a nice, kind gentleman-and much before the other in the pulpit, don't you think, miss?'

"He preaches very well indeed, certainly."

"Oh! he do, miss. Why my man come home a Sunday, and sat down and looked as serious and silent as anything, and then he said, 'Why, Sarah, that 'ere young man is the wonderfullest preacher I ever heard. I don't believe as there was more nor three people in the church as understood a word of his sermon to-day; it was that fine and full of dictionary words.'

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Marguerite could not forbear a smile as she

answered that she hoped her husband was one

of the three.

"Lor' no, miss, it was too deep for him! but it kep' him that quiet he sat and puzzled over his Bible, trying to pick out the meaning of some of it as he recollected, all the evening. Oh! he does think a lot of him.”

All the way home Marguerite found herself thinking of what she had heard, so much that she gave very irrelevant answers to Geraldine's questions. She was puzzled to know why Mr. Tremaine had asked that child so much about her. He never hardly addressed her when he could help it a trivial movement of his hat, and he passed on as rapidly as possible. She should never have thought he knew her hair was gold— that he had ever looked at her enough to tell what colour it was. She did not know how he had learnt it by heart as he sat in the Porch House, nor how he had been trying ever since to forget that golden head bent over the book.

The moment she reached home she was received with the greatest excitement by the other girls, eager to impart such delightful and wonderful news. Papa had actually come up in their room, and said he heard they wished to get up some theatricals, and he had no objection to let them do so as soon as they liked.

This was charming, and Marguerite began to wonder if clergymen objected to private theatricals, and whether they could ask Mr. Tremaine to come and see them.

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I'll serve thee in such noble ways,
As ne'er were known before;

I'll deck and crown thy head with bays,
And love thee more and more.

MONTROSE.

F course, as soon as possible, Blanche was informed of this good news, and

they were soon all in busy preparation. It was to come off the second week in October, as their father said he should have some friends down shooting then, whom it would help to amuse in the evening.

The pieces decided on were, "Two o'clock in the Morning," and " Somebody Else;" that

Blanche might play her own part, and also because they had not a large company, and wanted pieces with as few characters as possible. There were to be two performances, one for the servants and children, as a sort of dress rehearsal, and the other, and finished performance, for the guests.

Now, to form the company :-Cousin Charlie undertook to find the gentlemen, and be stage manager, but objected to act. Marguerite was to be manager, arrange the wardrobe, and find the female part of the company. Adèle, Rose, and Estelle laughingly declared they should be frightened to death, and even said they would not act; so Marguerite said she would have a part, if one of them would under-study it, in case her heart failed her at the last moment; which Estelle consented to do. But when she found she was to be that good young lady, Louise, she positively refused. "Good gracious! no, my dear Marguerite, the idea of my pretending not

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