Dick Bewery and Betty Campany had of late progressed out of the schoolboy and schoolgirl hail-fellow-well-met stage to the first dawnings of love, and in spite of their frequent meetings had begun a romantic correspondence between each other, the joy and mystery of which was increased a hundredfold by a secret method of exchange of these missives.

Just within the wicket-gate entrance of Paradise there was an old monument wherein was a convenient cavity--Dick Bewery's ready wits transformed this into love's post-office.

In it he regularly placed letters for Betty: Betty stuffed into it letters for him.

And on this particular evening Dick had gone to Paradise to collect a possible mail, and as Bryce walked leisurely up the narrow path, enclosed by trees and old masonry which led from Friary Lane to the ancient enclosure, Dick turned a corner and ran full into him.

In the light of the single lamp which illumined the path, the two recovered themselves and looked at each other.
"Hullo!" said Bryce.