It was not unusual for Mrs. Catherine to have these gatherings. They were very simple affairs. She liked to bring the young people together; she liked herself, now and then, to have a pleasant domestic chat with the elders. Everybody liked those quiet and easy parties, to which the guests came in their ordinary dress, and enjoyed themselves after their own fashion, without restraint or ceremony; and everybody, who had the good fortune to be on Mrs. Catherine's list of favorites, had most pleasant recollections of the ruddy inner drawing-room, at these especial times. Giles Sympelton paid another visit to poor Kenneth Macalpine after dinner. He found him sleeping pleasantly in the warm, cheerful, light apartment, his mother watching with tearful joy by his bedside, and Mrs. Euphan Morison sitting in portly state by the fire. Widow Macalpine whispered thanks and blessings, and added, that, "he hadna sleeped sae quiet, since ever they were warned out o' the glen." Giles withdrew with very pleasant feelings, and walking up to the room prepared for him, where his servant already waited, proceeded to dress. This important operation was performed very carefully, some dreamy idea of "astonishing the natives" floating through his boyish brain the while. Giles, simple lad as he was, was yet a gentleman--he had no flashy finery about him--his dress was perfectly plain and simple. He was satisfied, however, and felt he would make an impression. Ada Mina Coulter's pretty, girlish face was the first he noticed on entering the room. He did make an impression. Ada knew very pleasantly, as she drooped her brown curls before the glance of the stranger, that the blue eyes from whence that glance came, belonged to a lord's son--an Honorable Giles. Mrs. Catherine introduced him, with kindly mention of his day's labor, to her elder friends--to Lewis Ross and Anne--and then committing him to their charge, returned to her conversation with the fathers and mothers. Giles by no means made the impression he expected on that party--he had a feeling of old friendship for Anne--a slight idea of rivalry in respect to Lewis--but consoled himself pleasantly half an hour after, by Ada Coulter's side, putting her into a very agreeable state of flutter and tremulousness. Ada was younger than Alice Aytoun--was but a little way past her sixteenth birth-day indeed, and was not yet accustomed to the homage of young gentlemen--and an Honorable Giles!