the vicarage at crumleigh was situated at one end of the straggling village street. it was a modern, red-brick building with bay windows in front; and had been built on the site of the former vicarage, which had been destroyed by fire some years previously. a large garden, well cultivated, surrounded the house, which stood back some distance from the street, on the opposite side to the church; and next to the vicarage grounds was the field where the members of the crumleigh cricket club assembled during the summer evenings, after their day's work was done, to practice the famous old english game.

mr. cole had been only two years the vicar of crumleigh. before that time, his work had lain in a large london parish, where he had laboured as a curate for more than twenty years; then, broken down by severe illness, he had accepted the living of crumleigh, which had been offered to him most opportunely.

as he entertained eric wallis to tea in his comfortable dining-room, he told him some of his experiences in the great metropolis; and eric confided in him that his chief friend at school was the son of a london clergyman, living in a very poor parish.

"what is his name?" mr. cole inquired.

"lawrence puttenham; but he's always called putty. why, you don't mean to say you know him!" the boy cried, as he noticed the vicar's start of surprise.

"know him? why, of course i do! then you are being educated at w— college? lawrence puttenham is the son of my oldest friend. i wonder if you mentioned crumleigh to him that he did not tell you i was the vicar here."

"i don't think i did mention crumleigh to him," eric said, reflectively. "i certainly told him all about uncle jasper, and the moat house, and gave him to understand it was two miles from the town of t—, but, no, i'm sure i never spoke of the village."

"and not knowing the district, he would have no idea that crumleigh was so near to t—."

"how very strange that you should know putty!" eric exclaimed.

"not strange at all seeing that his father and i were at the same college together at oxford, and have kept in touch with each other ever since. i know your friend very well; in fact, he's my godson."

"oh!" cried eric, gazing at the vicar with additional interest.

"now, i wonder what that exclamation means?" mr. cole said, inquiringly.

"it means that i've heard a great deal about you," eric replied, frankly. "i've often heard putty speak of his godfather. fancy your being the man!"

"yes, i'm the man!" and the vicar gave an involuntary, amused laugh.

"well, i'm glad," eric said, with candour. he knew that lawrence puttenham's godfather was paying for his education, and had promised to start him in life; but he had received that information in confidence, and so he had never mentioned it even to his mother. "won't putty be astonished next term when tell him i know you!" he exclaimed.

"and won't he be astonished when he comes to pay me a visit next week, and finds you located near at hand!"

"is he coming?" eric asked, eagerly, his voice full of intense pleasure, his eyes bright with expectancy. "have you invited him, really?"

"yes, and if all's well he will arrive on monday evening."

"and it's thursday to-day. this is grand news! i say, mr. cole, please don't write and tell him anything about me. we'll give him a surprise."

"so we will," the vicar agreed. "are you sure you won't have any more tea? no? well, then, suppose we adjourn to the cricket field, i expect most of the boys have arrived by this time."

"i thought you were married?" eric remarked, as he strolled by mr. cole's side down the garden path towards the gate; "that is to say, i supposed you were," he amended, "because you have a nice big house, and—" he paused, looking slightly confused, but the vicar smiled as he replied:

"and you thought me old enough to possess a wife and family? no, i'm not married," he continued, more seriously, "my sister always lived with me till her death, nearly three years ago now. she used to be my right hand, and assisted me both by helping me in my parochial duties and by her unfailing sympathy. you, who have sisters of your own, can imagine my feelings when i lost mine, the only one i had, who had ever been my most faithful friend. she would have been delighted with this pleasant home if god had spared her to share it with me, but that was not to be—still, his will be done." he sighed as he glanced back at the vicarage, bathed in the mellow sunshine of the august evening. "there are voices in the cricket field. let us see who has come."

more than half a dozen boys had arrived already; and therefore several pairs of curious eyes rested on eric as he and the vicar appeared upon the scene. mr. cole introduced his companion as a new member of the club, briefly explaining that he was considered rather a good cricketer. eric spoke a few words to those who looked friendliest. some of the boys stared at him in stolid silence whilst others whispered together as they stood apart, casting occasional glances him. the new member began to feel slightly uncomfortable.

"us doan' want un!" one hulking lad of sixteen—sam dart by name—remarked audibly to a friend, gazing disapprovingly at eric's tall, upright figure, clad in a white flannel suit.

"hush!" whispered his companion; "'e's sir jasper amery's nephew, an' sir jasper subscribes to the club."

play now commenced, and eric was placed as wicket-keeper, which post he filled so well that the boys began to view him with greater approval. several of the lads showed that they had practised the game to some purpose; and sam dart, as he sent the ball flying across the field, and made run after run, glanced triumphantly at the newcomer, and demanded what he thought of that. eric complimented him on his prowess as a batsman; but was not a little amused when a few minutes later the redoubtable sam was caught out. after a while, eric, at the vicar's suggestion, gave a few lessons in bowling; and, on the whole, made a rather favourable impression on his new acquaintances. sam dart alone stood aloof, and declined to be at all friendly. he was a plain, red-headed boy, with a snub nose and a wide mouth, and he wore a "dicky," as he called the mock white shirt front, which had slipped all awry and dangled from his neck. more than once during the game the vicar had been obliged sternly to call him to order for the language he had used; and though he had mended his speech at once, no very long time had elapsed before he had offended again. afterwards, eric learnt that sam dart was regarded as the roughest lad in the village; that the vicar had hesitated whether or not to permit him to join the cricket club, but had finally deemed it advisable to allow him to become a member; and that sam dart had improved in every way since the vicar had taken him in hand. eric could not help wondering what he had been like before.

"i shall come again to-morrow evening, mr. cole," eric told the vicar, as he shook hands with him at parting. "and mind you don't write and tell putty he'll meet me here."

the vicar promised he would not; and eric started homewards in high spirits, his mind full of pleasant thoughts. he had taken a great fancy to mr. cole, and was really delighted at the discovery he had made anent his connection with his favourite school-friend.

at the entrance to the grounds of the moat house he encountered joy, who had come to meet him, eager to know how he had got on during the evening. to her he immediately confided the news that lawrence puttenham was expected at the vicarage on a visit, and joy, as was her custom, thoroughly entered into his happiness and rejoiced with him.

"how nice it will be for you, eric!" she cried, after he had explained everything. "i am so glad. fancy mr. cole being putty's godfather! i am surprised!"

"mr. cole's a splendid fellow," eric said. "we had such a jolly talk together at tea; he told me about his work in london, and how he caught typhoid fever, and nearly died. that was why he came into the country. the doctors told him if he didn't he'd never pick up. he says he thinks he's pretty well as strong as he ever was now, and i asked him if he meant to go back to london, but he said no, that god had sent him here, and there was plenty of work for him to do here. do you know, when he first came to crumleigh the boys of the village used to spend their spare time in loitering about the street, playing pitch and toss, and using bad language? it was a long time before they would have anything to do with him, always shirked out of his way when they saw him coming, and so on; but by-and-by they found out he meant them well, and now they're quite friendly with him."

"and what about the cricket club?" joy asked, much interested.

"oh, the vicar started that, of course! the members are a queer set," eric said, with a hearty laugh; "they talk the broadest dialect; but i think i shall get on with them—all except a great fellow called sam dart, who scowled at me every time he caught my eye; i'm not sure about him. he's the roughest of the lot, and the vicar had several times to stop his swearing—i imagine he used bad language more from habit than any other reason. he appeared to look on me as an interloper."

"we have had visitors during your absence," joy told her brother, presently, "mr. tillotson and lulu. they came to invite celia and me to spend a week or so with them."

"but you're not going?" eric cried, reproachfully; "you wouldn't go while i'm at the moat house?"

"no, i told mother i didn't want to go—lulu talked of asking us some time ago, at least she spoke of asking celia, and i guessed mr. tillotson would invite me too—so she made an excuse for me, said you and i generally spent most of the time together in the holidays. but celia's going."

"is she, though?" eric exclaimed. "that's not very flattering to me, is it? but i don't mind," he acknowledged, candidly.

"she is to go the week after next," joy explained "and she's to have several new frocks. uncle jasper said mother was to take her to t— to-morrow, and get her some pretty clothes. celia is delighted."

"i dare say. she's as vain as a peacock!"

"i don't think mother wants her to go and stay with the tillotsons, but uncle jasper wishes it. do you know, i fancy celia must have told him beforehand that we were going to have the invitation, for he said at once that if i did not care to go that was no reason why celia should be done out of a pleasure, and he had no doubt lulu would be satisfied with one visitor."

"well, i'm glad you are not going, anyway."

"i'm afraid you will not want me when lawrence puttenham is at the vicarage," and though joy smiled, there was a very wistful expression on her countenance, which her brother was quick to notice.

"that's all you know about it!" he cried, catching her by the shoulder and giving her a playful shake. "don't pull such a long face, joy. but, i say, tell me one thing, what's come between you and celia? you used to be such great friends."

"yes, but she's altered lately," joy acknowledged with a deep, regretful sigh. "i can't explain what i mean, but she's different."

"i see she is. i wonder if mother notices it. i believe it's uncle jasper's fault. he makes too much of her."

joy made no response to this. lately her eyes had been opened to many little flaws in her sister's character, to which she had been blind before; and she endured the rankling knowledge that celia had allowed her to be put in a false position. there was no longer the old confidence between the two, who in their home at a— had been such close friends, so that they contemplated the coming separation for a few weeks with feelings of actual relief. celia looked forward to a visit which she anticipated would be pleasantly spent in congenial society, whilst joy regarded the prospect of her sister's absence with perfect equanimity.

sir jasper asked eric many questions in reference to the crumleigh cricket club when they met at supper-time, all of which the boy answered fully. the old man nodded his approval of what he heard. he was both interested and amused by eric's description of the boys, and remarked that the vicar deserved praise for the good order in which he had managed to set the parish, adding that crumleigh had been notorious in the past for the ill-behaviour of the youths of the place.

"i believe there is to be a real match on saturday," said eric; "you ought to watch it, uncle jasper."

"i!" cried sir jasper, regarding the boy with amazement. "i!" he repeated.

"yes, you," eric nodded; "and mother and the girls might like to see it, too. you subscribe to the club, uncle jasper, so don't you think you might drive over and see us play—by way of encouragement, you know?"

"i have not been outside my own grounds for eighteen months," announced sir jasper. "besides, a cricket match has no attractions me," he added, an expression of gloom crossing his withered face.

it was at this point that joy ventured to turn the conversation by a remark about lawrence puttenham's expected arrival at the vicarage, whereupon eric informed sir jasper of his friend's relationship to mr. cole.

"i have heard so much about putty's godfather," he said, "that as soon as i discovered he and the vicar were one, i felt though i'd known him for ever so long. won't old putty be astounded when he finds i'm here! what jolly times we shall have together! i may ask putty to the moat house sometimes, mayn't i, uncle jasper?"

"as often as you please. as mr. cole's son he would be welcome, and he will be doubly so as your friend."

sir jasper's tone was so gracious that eric thanked him very earnestly, adding: "i know you'll like putty, he's such a good sort of fellow. no nonsense about him—nothing put on—and as straight as a line!"

"i like people to be straight," sir jasper replied gravely, and as he spoke his eyes rested for a moment on joy, who, meeting his glance, suddenly grew crimson and hung her head, imagining he was thinking that she was not straight.

all at the table noticed the little girl's painful confusion with comprehension and sympathy, except sir jasper, who regarded it as an additional proof of a guilty conscience, and turned his gaze away from her with a decided frown.

after that, the meal was concluded in comparative silence, and it was a relief to every one when it came to an end.