Whether the appearance of the children was too inconsistent with his ghostly mission, or whether his heart failed him at the last moment, the master could not determine.

Yet, distasteful as the impending interview promised to be, the master was vaguely and irritatingly disappointed.
A few hours later, when school was being dismissed, the master found Octavia Dean lingering near his desk.

Looking into the girl's mischievous eyes, he good-humoredly answered their expectation by referring to her morning's news.

"I thought Miss McKinstry had been married by this time," he said carelessly.
Octavia, swinging her satchel like a censer, as if she were performing some act of thurification over her completed tasks, replied demurely: "Oh no! dear no--not THAT." "So it would seem," said the master.
"I reckon she never kalkilated to, either," continued Octavia, slyly looking up from the corner of her lashes.
"Indeed!" "No--she was just funning with Seth Davis--that's all." "Funning with him ?" "Yes, sir.

Kinder foolin' him, you know." "Kinder foolin' him!" For an instant the master felt it his professional duty to protest against this most unmaidenly and frivolous treatment of the matrimonial engagement, but a second glance at the significant face of his youthful auditor made him conclude that her instinctive knowledge of her own sex could be better trusted than his imperfect theories.