Soon after this we went in, and there we sat till nearly ten o'clock, laughing, joking, singing, and drinking punch. Mary sat between James Stockbridge and Tom, and they three spoke together so exclusively and so low, that the rest of us were quite forgotten. Mary was smiling and laughing, first at one and then at the other, in her old way, and now and then as I glanced at her I could hardly help sighing. But I soon remembered certain resolutions I had made, and tried not to notice the trio, but to make myself agreeable to the others. Still my eyes wandered towards them again intuitively. I thought Mary had never looked so beautiful before. Her complexion was very full, as though she were blushing at something one of them had said to her, and while I watched I saw James rise and go to a jug of flowers, and bring back a wreath of scarlet Kennedia, saying:-- "Do us a favour on Christmas night, Mary; twine this in your hair." She blushed deeper than before, but she did it, and Tom helped her. There was no harm in that, you say, for was he not her cousin? But still I could not help saying to myself, "Oh Mary, Mary, if you were a widow, how long would you stay so?" "What a gathering it is, to be sure!" said Mrs. Buckley!--"all the old Drumstonians who are alive collected under one roof." "Except the Doctor," said the Major. "Ah, yes, dear Doctor Mulhaus. I am so sad sometimes to think that we shall never see him again." "I miss him more than any one," said the Major. "I have no one to contradict me now." "I shall have to take that duty upon me, then," said his wife. "Hark! there is Lee come back from the sheep station. Yes, that must be his horse. Call him in and give him a glass of grog. I was sorry to send him out to-day." "He is coming to make his report," said Mrs. Buckley; "there is his heavy tramp outside the door." The door was opened, and the new comer advanced to where the glare of the candles fell full upon his face. Had the Gentleman in Black himself advanced out of the darkness at that moment, with his blue bag on his arm and his bundle of documents in his hand, we should not have leapt to our feet and cried out more suddenly than we did then. For Doctor Mulhaus stood in the middle of the room, looking around him with a bland smile. Chapter XXI JIM STOCKBRIDGE BEGINS TO TAKE ANOTHER VIEW OF MATTERS. He stood in the candle-light, smiling blandly, while we all stayed for an instant, after our first exclamation, speechless with astonishment. The Major was the first who showed signs of consciousness, for I verily believe that one half of the company at least believed him to be a ghost. "You are the man," said the Major, "who in the flesh called himself Maximilian Mulhaus! Why are you come to trouble us, O spirit?--not that we shouldn't be glad to see you if you were alive, you know, but--my dear old friend, how are you?"