Mr. M'Cranky kept up a fusillade of grumbling while dressing, but Mrs. M'Cranky was too excited to take any notice; and when the cab had deposited them at the door Mr. M'Cranky said to the driver, "Eleven o'clock." "Right, sir," said Jehu. Mrs. M'Cranky had left word at the office that they were to be called for at one o'clock, so she pretended to look inside the cab to see if she had left anything; and while M'Cranky was going up the steps she said to the driver, "You understand," and he replied with a knowing look, "All right, mum." As they were about the first to arrive, the time was occupied by looking over the albums, with explanations by Mr. Gibson as to who the photographs represented, with the relationship between the young lady on the present page and the old gentleman two leaves back, which seemed to be of great interest to the spectators. Then there were the curiosities to be shown. "This," said Mr. Gibson, lifting a fusty-looking thing from a bracket, "is a spider's nest, sent by my son Tom from Queensland. He is in a bank there, and getting on very well. He's engaged to that young lady I showed you the photograph of"; and as he threatened to produce the album again, the gentlemen all said they remembered--"Nice-looking lady." "This is a carved box Jim, my eldest son, sent from India,--beautiful carving. I got a paper from him the other day with an account of a concert he had been performing at. I wonder if I could lay my hands on it! Oh yes, here it is," said he, producing it from where he had carefully laid it a few minutes before. "My family are all musical," he continued. "You'll hear my girl to-night; she plays the violin, and is getting on very well, I believe. She is to perform at a Primrose League meeting to-morrow night." As this was said as if to convey an idea of the esteem in which she was held as a violinist, the gentlemen said "Oh!" or "Indeed!" There were occasional painful pauses in the conversation, for, though the gentlemen had been introduced, no one could have told another's name; and each seemed to wait for the others to begin, till one ventured to start abusing the weather, and our unfortunate climate was subjected to a prolonged and severe criticism. "Any of you gentlemen care for a hand at whist?" the host asked. And when some said they "didn't mind," and others that they would be "very pleased," he said, "I think we could manage two sets." Of course the ladies had to be asked, and they expressed their willingness, but said they could not play very well. The two tables were placed very close to each other, as there was not much room. The gentlemen apparently looked on the game as a very serious affair, and the ladies regarded it lightly and as a secondary matter. The cards were just dealt, and play about to begin, when Mrs. Gibson came across the room and whispered something to her husband, who said, "'M? Oh yes, we're to have a violin duet from Mr. Morrison and Miss Gibson."