she thought, over and over; "Kirk's reading to us, without very many mistakes!"

Oh, Ken, aren't we having fun?" "Aren't we, though!" breathed his brother, pulling the end of the Burberry over Kirk's shoulders.

And a long, dry, firm hand took Kirk's, and Kirk followed unhesitatingly where it led.

" Kirk's face was intent, listening.

His hands on Kirk's quivering shoulders, he asked, "What is it?" Kirk sat up, ashamed, and wondering why he had cried.

The jangling stopped at Applegate Farm, and Mr. Hobart delved into a soap-box in his cart and extracted the Sturgis mail, which he delivered into Kirk's outstretched hand.

Mr. Hobart waited, as usual, to watch, admire, and marvel at Kirk's unhesitating progress to the house, and then he clucked to the horses and tinkled on his way.

[Illustration: The Maestro sat down beside Kirk] Kirk's hand sought along the dry pine-needles; then, in a nook of the roots, what but a tiny dish, with sweetmeats, set out, and little cups of elder wine, and bread, and cottage cheese!

" He held out a sprig in not quite the right direction, and the Maestro stepped forward and stooped to him, while Kirk's fingers found the buttonhole.

There is no question but that Kirk's days were really the busiest of the Sturgis family's.

The quiet garden and the still old house became as well known to Ken and Felicia as to their brother, and, indeed, the Maestro might often have been seen in the living-room at Applegate Farm, listening to Kirk's proud performance on the melodeon, and eating one of Phil's cookies.

Stumbling down the shadowy road, with Kirk's hand in his, he said: "That was good luck.

It goes without saying that Kirk's musicwhich was the hardest sort of workabsorbed him completely; he lived in a new world.

From the somewhat vague sweetness of the melody, Ken recognized it as one of Kirk's own compositionswithout beginning, middle, or end, but with a gentle, eerie harmony all its own.

There was one thing moresome sheets of paper covered with Braille characters, tucked beside Kirk's plate.

"Just a minute, lamb," she heard Ken say, with a hand on Kirk's shoulder.

The first fallen leaves rustled beneath Kirk's feet as he went up the paved path and halted beside the dry fountain.

And what the music lacked was amply made up in Kirk's face as he playedan ineffable expression of mingled joy, devotion, and the solid satisfaction of a creator in his own handiwork.

"I know what you're thinking," said the Maestro, smoothing Kirk's dark hair.

It should be compared with R.G. Kirk's "Gun-Shy" (Saturday Evening Post, October 22).

"I thought you'd perhaps like to look over this data before morning," said the young man, as he laid a number of typed sheets and a photograph at Ashton-Kirk's elbow.

"Allan Morris, by George!" CHAPTER XIV MISS VALE UNEXPECTEDLY APPEARS Edouard, Ashton-Kirk's cook, was astonished and somewhat grieved that day to receive orders that dinner was to be served an hour earlier than usual.

" And no sooner was the dinner completed than Ashton-Kirk's big French car was brought to the door and both young men got into it.

" Pendleton, listening with dwindling interest, saw Ashton-Kirk's hand clench, and saw a gleam shoot into his eyes.

Scientific students may be referred to the Works of Hooker and Dieffenbach, to Von Haast's "Geology of Canterbury and Westland," Kirk's "New Zealand Forest Flora," Sir Walter Buller's "Birds of New Zealand," Hudson's "New Zealand Entomology," and to the papers of Hector, Hutton and Thompson.