DOREEN  II

"  I  will  choose  Michael,"  said  Mrs.  Hereford.
"  And  I  will  choose  Mr.  Desmond,"  said  Miriam,  with  a
coquettish  glance  at  the  tutor.
"  Then  that  means  that  we  two  are  together,"  said  Doreen,
composedly,  drawing  Max  towards  the  hearth  and  making
him  drop  his  grain  of  corn  into  the  skillet  beside  hers.
"  Now  we  must  watch  and  see  how  they  pop."

The  first  to  go  were  Mrs.  Hereford's  and  Michael's ;  they
popped  just  as  they  should  have  done,  inside  the  skillet.
"  You  and  I  will  be  friends  for  ever  and  ever,"  said  the
child,  clapping  his  hands.  "  I  wonder  if  you'll  be  so  lucky,
Doreen."

"  No,"  said  the  little  sister.  "  It  hardly  ever  comes  that
more  than  one  pair  are  lucky.  Ah,  there  goes  Mr.  Des-
mond !  Sure,  and  it's  you  that  will  be  breaking  your  friend-
ship ;  for  it  popped  outside  and  flew  right  towards  you,  and
there  goes  the  other  popping  inside.  It  will  be  all  your
fault.  What  a  long  time  ours  do  take.  At  last !  there  they
go !  Oh  dear,  dear !  No  luck  at  all  for  us ;  our  grains  both
popped  outside !  That  means  that  we  shall  both  agree  to
separate.  I'm  never  lucky  at  corn-popping  unless  I  pair
with  Michael,  and  we  always  stay  friends."

"  Then  I  shall  make  hay  while  the  sun  shines,"  said  Max,
laughing.  "  And  to-morrow  you  must  come  again  with  us
in  the  boat."


CHAPTER  II.
