The impatient horses needed no urging. They fairly flew down the beaten track that led from the noisy, bouldered streets into the grassy byways. On they went, past suburban orchards and outlying pastures, to the sights and sounds of the real country. Bethany heard the slow, restful tinkle of bells in a quiet lane where the cows stood softly lowing at the bars. She heard the coo of doves in the distance, and the call of a quail in a brown stubble-field near by. Then the wind swept up from the river, now turning red in the sunset. It put new life into her pulses, and a new light in her eyes. The weariness was all gone. The wind had blown the light, curly hair about her face, and she put up her hands to smooth it back, as they came in sight of Mrs. Marion's house. "It doesn't make any difference," she thought. "I can run up into Cousin Ray's room and put myself in order before any one sees me." As the carriage stopped, some one stepped up quickly to assist her alight. It was David Herschel. "Of all times!" she thought; "when I am literally blown to pieces. How queerly things do happen in this world!" To her still greater wonderment, instead of closing the gate after her and going on down the street, he followed her up the steps. "Cousin Ray said this was to be a surprise," she thought. "This must be part of it." Miss Harriet and Miss Caroline had just smoothed their plumage in the guest-chamber, and were coming down the stairs hand in hand as David and Bethany entered the reception-hall. This was their first glimpse of David. They had been very curious to see him. Jack had talked about him so much that they recognized him instantly from his description. Miss Caroline squeezed Miss Harriet's hand, and said in a dramatic whisper, "Sister! the surprise." "Look at Bethany," remarked Miss Harriet. "How unusually bright she looks, and yet a little flushed and confused. I wonder if he has been saying anything to her. They came in together." "Pooh!" puffed Miss Caroline. Then they both moved forward with their most beaming "company smile," as Jack called it, to meet Mr. Herschel. "Come in here," said Mrs. Marion, leading the way into the drawing-room, while Bethany made her escape up stairs. "Mrs. Courtney, allow me to introduce Mrs. Dameron." "Sally Atwater!" fairly shrieked Miss Caroline and Miss Harriet in chorus, as a tall, thin woman, with gray hair and sharp, twinkling eyes rose to meet them; "Sally Atwater, for the land's sake! how did you ever happen to get here?" "It's an old school friend of theirs," explained Mrs. Marion to David, as the twins stood on tiptoe to grasp her around the neck and kiss her repeatedly between their exclamations of joyful surprise. "They haven't seen her since they were married. I'll present you, and then we'll leave them to have a good old gossip." During the introductions in the drawing-room, Mr. Marion came into the hall, with his gripsack in his hand.