To The West | Page 7

Had you forgotten the address? You have passed the
house!"
As these words were uttered a hand grasped mine very warmly, and I
was looking in the thin, worn, pleasant features of Mr John Dempster,
which seemed far brighter than when I saw him at the office.
"Very, very glad to see you, my dear young friend," he cried, taking my
arm. "My wife and I have been looking forward to this day; she is very
eager to make your acquaintance."
To my surprise he led me back to the little house where the birds were
singing, and I could not help glancing at him wonderingly, for I had
fully expected to find him living in a state of poverty, whereas
everything looked neat and good and plain.
"Give me your hat," he said, as we stood in the passage. "That's right.
Now in here. Alexes, my dear, this is my young friend, Mr Gordon."
"I am very glad you have come," said a sweet, musical voice; and my
hand was taken by a graceful-looking lady, who must once have been
very beautiful. "You are hot and tired. Come and sit down here."
I felt hot and uncomfortable, everything was so different from what I
had expected; for the room was not in the least shabby, and the
tea-things placed ready added to the pleasant home-like aspect of the

place.
"You have not walked?" said Mr John Dempster.
"Oh, yes," I replied.
"From--where?"
I told him.
"Camberwell? And I was so unreasonable as to ask you to come all this
way."
I did not know how it was, but I somehow felt as if I had come to visit
some very old friends, and in quite a short time we were chatting
confidentially about our affairs. They soon knew all about my own
home, and my life since I left school so suddenly; and on my side I
learned that Mrs John Dempster had had a very serious illness, but was
recovering slowly, and that they were contemplating going abroad, the
doctors having said that she must not stay in our damp climate for
another winter.
I learned, too, that, as Mr John Dempster said, when things came to the
worst they improved. It had been so here, for the night after his visit to
his cousin in the city, a letter had come from Mrs John Dempster's
brother, who was in the North-west--wherever that might be--and their
temporary troubles were at an end.
That would have been a delightfully pleasant meal but for one thing.
No allusion was made to the visit to the city, and though I sat trembling,
for fear they should both begin to thank me for my offer, not a word
was said. The tea was simple. The flowers on the table and in the
window smelled sweetly, and the birds sang, while there was
something about Mrs John that fascinated me, and set me thinking
about the happy old days at home.
The one unpleasantly was the conduct of the little maid they kept. She
was a round rosy-faced girl of about fifteen, I suppose, but dressed in

every respect, cap and apron and all, like a woman of five-and-twenty.
In fact she looked like a small-sized woman with very hard-looking
shiny dark eyes.
Upon her first entrance into the room bearing a bright tin kettle, for the
moment I thought that as she looked so fierce, it was she who uttered
little snorts, hisses, and sputtering noises. But of course it was only the
kettle, for she merely looked at me angrily and gave a defiant sniff. As
the evening went on, I found that this was Maria, and it soon became
evident that Maria did not like me, but looked upon me as a kind of
intruder, of whom she was as jealous as a girl of her class could be.
Pleasant evenings always pass too rapidly, and it was so here; I could
not believe it when the hands of the little clock on the chimney-piece
pointed to nine, and I rose to go.
"How soon it seems!" sighed Mrs John. "Well, Mayne,"--it had soon
come to that--"you must call and see us again very soon--while we are
here," she added, slowly.
"Ah, and who knows but what he may come when we are far away!"
said Mr John. "The world is only a small place after all."
"Where should you go?" I said, earnestly. "I would come if I could."
"Possibly to Canada," said Mr John. "But there, we are not gone yet.
You will not feel lonely, dear, if I walk a little way with our visitor?"
She gave him a very gentle smile, and as I held out my hand, she drew
me to her and kissed me.
I could