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soon as they reached the foot of the mound on which the ruin stood, the two little travellers put down their burden, and sank beside 1t, panting with fatigue. The Profes- sor’s Interest was transferred from the ruin to the charming picture made by the children and their cat. 1t was long since he had rested his cyes upon objects so young and (resh, and full of life. His fancy was pleasantly struck with the contrast presented by the ancient ruin and the picture of young life to which it formed a background. His heart stirred, and he stepped nearer to the children, who had been so absorbed mo the getting along with their burden that they had not pereeived the Professor. Now, as they heard his approaching footsteps, they raised blue, startled eyes towards him, and threw protecting arms across their hamper. The Professor felt nresistibly drawn towards them, and, contrary to his usual custom, spoke.

“1 won’t hurt your cat,” he said.

His voice was gentle, and so were his great grey cyes, which were not too shy to mect the mnocent bluc ones. His broad- brimmed hat was like their father’s; the stoop

of This shoulders ve- minded them of their father too, and his manner mvited con-

fidence, so the children accepted his friendly overture and took him at his word.

“Come and look !7” cricd the younger of the two. She jumped to her feet, and, trip- ping up to the tall Professor, took his hand.

At the contact of the hittle soft confiding fingers a thnll shot through the Professor. He looked down at the child, and catching the sweet look of the mmnocent round face, it was most strangely borne in upon him that that sweetness of expression, that heavenly

blue of the eyes, and that soft fluffiness of

the brown hair on the fair forchead were not unfamiliar. As the child’s hand drew him along he held 1t with a gentle pressure, and a musling expression crept into his sad eyes,

The elder child lifted the yellow cat from the hamper.

THI STRAND

labour of

CHUGGING THE YELLOW CAT.”

MAGAZINI. “T'here '” she said, “those are Amber's dear hietle kittens. We brought them here to save their lives, because Gwennie said they would all have to be drowned !”

The Professor bent his back, and peered mto the hamper, where a family of blind, aroping, three - days -old kittens lay. The Professor did not find them so charming or so teresting as the children. He looked rom the kittens to the child hugging the vellow cat, her blue eyes sparkling under her sun-honnct. Who could these blue-cyed children be? Why should he faney that they bore a resemblance to a blue-cyed girl whose life had been closely entwined with his own in the hidden past? The Professor put out his disengaged hand, keeping gentle hold of the clinging child with the other, and absently stroked Amber’s yellow head., Amber purred approval, and the children’s hearts were completely won, They invited the Professor to sit down on the grass with them, and, mwardly amazed and amused at his own unusual pro- ceedings, the Professor did so. The children babbled about their kittens, and he, histen- mg with a rather ab- stracted smile, turned his cyes cver [rom one child to the other.

“What 15 your name, little one?” he asked abruptly, after a while. The question was addressed to the younger child, who still kept his hand and was leaning confidingly against his arm, look- g up with curiosity at the bumps on his broad forchead. She was wondering 1f they had been caused by a tumble downstairs.

“ My nameis Phyllis,” she said, m answer to his question,

The Professor started as i an electric shock had passed through him, and his face burned suddeniy red. I‘rom Phyllis’s face his cyes travelled toher black crape-trimmed dress.

“Why do you wear this?” he asked, touching 1t very softly.

• Because mother has gone away from us,’

said the child, her lips quivering a little. “She has gone to Heaven, and we shall not see her agam-until we go there too.”

)