"So I will, Miss Pimpernell," said I, carried away by her energy and enthusiasm; "I will go to the school treat--that is, if you will only kindly see _Miss Clyde_ for me"--I was rather diffident of letting Miss Pimpernell know of the friendly footing we had been on, regarding Christian nomenclature--"beforehand, and get her to forgive me. You will, won't you, dear Miss Pimpernell?" "None of your soft-sawder, Master Frank," replied the old lady; "I will do what I can to make your peace, as I promised; but, as to anything further, you must be a man, and speak up for yourself." "I will, you may rely," I said, determined to bring matters to an issue ere the week should close. Before Thursday came, however, I knew that Miss Pimpernell had kept her word in interceding for me, and that Min had quite forgiven me. She was "friends with me once more," I was assured; for, when I passed her window the next evening, in fear and trembling lest she should still be hostile and not recognise me, she bowed and smiled to me in her own old sweet way, as she used to do before my fit of jealousy and our consequent estrangement. Oh! how ardently I looked forwards to the approaching school treat. I was then resolved to learn whether she loved me or no. "Faint heart never won fair lady," as Miss Pimpernell had told me; I would deserve her reproach no longer. Thursday arrived at length, and with it the school treat. This summer "outing" had been an institution of annual celebration by our vicar long before it became a habit of London clergymen to send columns of appeals to the benevolent in the daily papers to assist the poor children of their respective congregations towards having "a day's pleasuring in the country." Our vicar, however, was not one of those who thus "passed round the hat" to strange laity! No, he made _his_ institution entirely a self- supporting one; and his school-children had the additional pleasure of knowing, that, they assisted in paying for their treat themselves, earning it in advance, with no thanks to "charity," or strangers, all the same. For some two months beforehand, the little ones used to deposit a weekly penny for this special purpose; and, when their contributions were thought to nearly amount to a shilling each, the fund was held sufficient to carry out the long-looked-for treat--although, of course, the vicar and other kindly-disposed persons would largely help to make the affair go off with the eclat and dignity suited to the occasion, all of which resulted in its being turned into a general picnic for the parish.