During his last few weeks Leedham spent many hours in the study with his father, and they had long friendly talks all about nothing, in which they skirmished round the new affection that had sprung up between them. On his last Sunday night there was a farewell supper. Mabel and Jessie Clibran-Bell were there and Gertrude and Mary and Minna. Frederic was out, and the boy James had been in bed all day with a cold caught in crawling along the roof in his night-gown from his attic-window to the attic of the boy next door. He had been thrashed for doing it--but when the boy next door had laid in a feast of sardines and raspberry jam the temptation was too great, and he scrambled over in the pouring rain, sat for two hours in his wet night-gown and then slept in it. With Frederic away Leedham could talk, and he bragged of how he would return in ten years and buy a carriage for his mother and re-build his father's church and set James up in life and bring jewels for Minna. (He was fond of Minna.) "But suppose you marry?" said Mary. "Not I," said Leedham. "I expect," remarked Francis, with a chuckle, "he'll marry a Portuguese." "Frank! How can you!" protested Martha. "The Portuguese are Catholics!" "Perhaps she'll be rich," threw in Minna. "And beautiful, with dark languishing eyes," added Mabel Clibran-Bell. And in a few minutes they had created the future Mrs. Leedham and, rather maliciously, endowed her with a furious temper. Leedham took all the chaff in good part and made himself especially amiable to his mother. Mary went upstairs with some supper for James and the talk turned on Flynn, and everybody wondered what he would do next. "I hate that Flynn," said Martha. "Oh, come!" replied Francis, "he's filled the church. I couldn't have done it without him." "But it is horrid," said Mabel Clibran-Bell. "Certainly; but Flynn is getting what he wants and I am getting what I want. Both his people and my people are more enthusiastic than they would be otherwise." "Father says," put in Jessie Clibran-Bell, "that he is getting libellous." "Let him," returned Francis. "Wouldn't you proceed against him?" "Not I. I don't think the clergy should squabble even in the Law Courts." "But," said Martha, "it would be a case for Frederic." Mary returned saying that James was not in his room and nowhere in the house. She had called through the window to the boy next door, but there was such a terrific wind her voice was blown away. There were two chimney-pots blown down in the square. Mrs. Folyat went white and her lips trembled. They all looked from one to the other. Leedham left the room and they heard the front-door bang, and the wind moaned in the chimney.