Honor felt mortified, while her companion evidently was very much amused. She looked at him suddenly, her pretty face suffused with blushes, but on raising her eyes they met his in a quick glance--the large, passionate gray and the deep, dreamy blue penetrated each other's depths in an instant--only during one short breath, and then Honor's fell. She had been about to speak, but the mischief in his look reminded her of the absurdity of this _recontre_, and she could only turn aside, and show him by her shaking shoulders that she was forced to laugh. At last the situation became too ridiculous, and Honor, between smothered fits of laughter, said, "If you have made any appointment with Mr. Rayne, he will not detain you, I know. Be seated; I will enquire if he has yet arrived" "Do not trouble yourself," her companion answered. "My uncle, Mr. Rayne makes no ceremony for me, I assure I you. I must only await his pleasure. But lest I have disturbed you--" "Not at all," Honor interrupted, "I was only amusing myself." "We may as well not be strangers," Guy said, courteously advancing towards Honor, "for we are likely to meet very often henceforward. I am Mr. Rayne's nephew, his sister's son, and I was the only toy in the big nursery of his heart until Miss Edgeworth appeared, which young lady I think I have at present the honor to address." Honor bowed, and, extending her hand, said in her sweetest voice-- "For Mr. Rayne's sake we must certainly be friends,"--then feeling a little more at home with her visitor, she continued, "As no one comes in here unannounced, I ventured to attempt a little disguise this afternoon. I mistook your knock for some one's of the household, and had just struck the last attitude of my assumed character when you caught me--I hope the effect on your nerves was nothing serious," and as she spoke this in her bewitching confusion Guy felt like taking her up in his arms, little bundle of blushes and smiles as she looked, and devouring her, but before he had time for word or action, the door opened again, and this time Henry Rayne bustled in, glaring in bewilderment upon them-- "Why! You two young rascals, how did you come together? Here you've cheated me out of anticipated pleasure by finding one another out behind my back--this is too bad!" and Mr. Rayne as he spoke looked suspiciously at each of them. "Oh, Mr. Rayne," and "Really, uncle," broke simultaneously from their lips, and then Guy, advancing, explained the interesting circumstances of their premature introduction. "Well, it's just as well," Henry Rayne said, laughing, "we are all to be the one family henceforth, and the sooner it began the better--sit down Honor--sit down my boy," continued he, drawing chairs towards the fire, "come Guy, tell us the news, you have nothing else to do but gather it."