The next day the house filled with guests, and great were the preparations for the event of the day following. Frank and Teddy were in great request, and found full occupation in assisting the bridesmaids to fill the vases, &c., with flowers. Furniture, too, had to be moved, and many arrangements improvised, for the ball in the evening. Very gay was the wedding, and the whole town of Stoke made holiday. The wedding festivities were followed by much general gaiety,—dinners, small dances, and balls. The Drakes' house continued full of guests, and Frank had great opportunities in the midst of all these gaieties to indulge in a very extensive amount of flirtation. After his long absence on the Continent, there was a great charm in the unrestrained and familiar intercourse with a number of young English girls as lively, innocent, and fearless as young fawns. But if he flirted, he flirted generally, dividing his attentions with perfect impartiality among the bridesmaids, and, with the assistance of Teddy Drake, keeping up a perpetual state of fun and laughter with them. Miss Drake and himself were great allies. After the first few days they had, by mutual consent, taken to call each other Frank and Sarah. With her cousin Frank never attempted a similar step, but addressed her as Miss O'Byrne, in a formal manner, and took excessive pleasure in teazing her in that and other small matters, especially in respect of her brogue, to her no small indignation. For Katie was a staid little person in her way, and stood rather on her dignity, and she chafed not a little under the feeling that even when Frank was professing the utmost deference to her opinion, he was really quietly bantering her. One evening, when Frank had been there nearly three weeks, and was talking of leaving in a few days, he had been specially teazing. Katie had fought hard as usual, but had been conscious of being worsted, and when she went upstairs for the night, she said to her cousin,— “I am really glad Mr. Maynard is going, Sarah. I begin almost to hate him.” Sarah opened her eyes in astonishment. “What nonsense, Katie. You don't mean it? Why I do think he is the very nicest fellow I ever met.” “Yes, I suppose so, Sarah; and his opinion of you seems to be equally good.” “I hope so,” Sarah said; “one always wishes to be liked by people as one likes them.” “Stuff, Sarah! My opinion is,” Katie said, positively, “that we shall have another wedding here one of these days.” “Perhaps so, Katie,” Sarah answered composedly; “but I do not think we should name the same person if we were to guess.” “Well, Sarah, I will bet you half-a-dozen pairs of kid gloves upon it.” “Very well, Katie, I bet. Now who do you name?” “Frank Maynard and you, of course. “That's your idea, Katie, is it?” Sarah said, provokingly cool.