It happened that Murray said less to Jane than to any of the others, but he noticed her not a little. He thought he had never seen a girl who looked so spirited and sweet and gay and gentle all in one. He felt that his sister Olive must learn to know her at once, that she might learn what it is to be pretty without seeming aware of the fact, and how it is possible to make a stranger feel wholly at his ease without appearing to exercise any arts. "I suppose I ought to be taking my sister home," Murray said at last, getting to his feet. "The truth is, she has wanted to know Miss Nancy since she first saw her, and so----" "Murray wanted to know you, too," said Shirley, in Nancy’s ear; but as her brother paused, the words were audible to everybody. "To know _me_?" queried Nancy, in surprise, and everybody smiled. "I’m sure my mother and sister will call--soon," said Murray, trying to feel sure of that rather doubtful proposition as he made it. The moment would have been an awkward one in some small houses, for it was impossible not to remember that the Worthington Squares do not make many calls in the Gay Streets, but young Rufus, studying Shirley with interest, broke in, without intention, upon his mother’s reply. Rufus was quite untroubled by the social inequalities existing between localities divided only by a stone’s throw. "That ’s a dandy tennis-court you will have there when you put it out," he remarked. "It’s pretty fair--and we shall have it in shape early this year," replied Murray, smiling. There was a beauty about Murray’s rare smile which quite transformed his pale face. His eyes met Jane’s as he spoke. "It ’s too bad to grow up past the point of breaking the ice so easily, is n’t it?" she said, merrily, as he shook hands. "We ’ll have to follow their wise example," he replied. "I hope that you ’ll find your way over to Gay Street often in the future," declared Peter, shaking hands. "I mean to, thank you, if you’ll let me?" Murray looked into Mrs. Bell’s eyes, and a shade of wistfulness crept into his own, which she saw, and recognising, was sure she understood. "Please come, if you care to," she said, cordially, and he felt her warm, firm hand give his a friendly pressure, which quite completed the capturing of his heart. A ringing step on the porch outside, a knock at the door--it boasted no bell--and everybody looked up surprised, for it was nearly ten o’clock. Ross opened the door. "I beg your pardon," said a gay and careless voice outside, "but I came to look for my brother and sister. They seem to be lost, and I ’m told they ’re here." "Come in!" said Ross, and the owner of the voice appeared upon the threshold. Standing there, surveying the company with his characteristically assured expression, his handsome face taking on a saucy smile as his eyes fell on his brother, Forrest Townsend was carefully and formally presented by Murray to each one of the household in turn.