"I meant to surprise Bess, and I rather flatter myself I succeeded. I say, Miss Teddy, what relation are we, anyhow?" "Hm-m." Theodora pondered on the matter. "Cousins? No; I suppose you're my uncle. Uncle Archie. How respectful that sounds!" Archie made a grimace of disgust. "It suggests carpet slippers and an ivory-headed cane and a bandanna. I don't believe I care to be related at all, if that's the way you're going to work it." Theodora laughed wickedly. She was keen enough to see that the young man was nettled by the implied addition to his years, and she was too much of a tease to allow her opportunity to slip by, unheeded. She gave him a mocking bow. "I'm sorry you don't care to claim us, Uncle Archie," she said, as she rose. "Still, you can't expect us to call mamma's only brother Mr. Holden." "Call me Archie, then." "How disrespectful! No, Uncle Archie is quite nice and proper." "I won't answer. Where are you going?" "To do my lessons with Billy. We have a tutor." Theodora spoke with a sudden air of complacency. "What a bother! I wanted you. Do you do them, every day?" "Yes, every morning, only we're generally at Billy's. What did you want?" "Nothing much; only I brought on some stuff for Bess and for--my new nephews and nieces, and I thought, if you weren't busy, I'd bring it down." "How lovely! I'll wait." "Oh, Ted-dy!" Billy's voice, though distant, was emphatic and distinct. "Do hurry up!" She gave a longing glance back at the young man at the top of the stairway. "I can't wait," she said regretfully. "I don't want to go; but--it's Billy, you see." Archie liked her loyalty. "No matter; they can wait till noon. Farewell, my niece, and mind your teacher." "I will, Uncle Archie." Two months before this time, soon after Billy had begun to rally from the mysterious strain to his back, Mrs. Farrington had appeared in the doctor's office, one evening. "As usual, I am asking a favor," she said. "At last, I have succeeded in getting a really good tutor for Billy. The man was instructor in Yale till his health failed, and he is highly recommended to me. Billy is bright and well advanced for his age, so I think he and Hubert must be doing about the same work. It is so lonely for him, do you suppose Hubert, or Theodora, or both of them, would be willing to study with him, to keep him company?" The matter was settled in family council, that same evening. Though it seemed to Dr. McAlister too fine an opportunity to be lost, he left it entirely to the choice of the children. Theodora accepted the new plan with prompt delight. Hubert hesitated, chose the tutor, chose to stay in school with his boy friends, dreaded to be separated from Theodora, and finally decided to remain in the school. Two months later, Theodora was reading the Anabasis, while Hubert was still toiling over the intricacies of the irregular verb.