“Not so fast!  Not so fast” said the lieutenant.  “Edith and I are going to housekeeping very soon, and then we shall want Olive.”

Mrs. Easterfield smiled, but made no reply.

When the lieutenant and his wife, with Olive, came a few days afterward to make their proper dinner call, he found an occasion to speak to their hostess.

“Do you know,” said he, “that this is a strange girl of mine?” She positively refuses to come and live with us.  We had counted upon having her, and had made all our arrangements for it.  She is as good and nice as she can be, but we can not move her.”

“You ought not to try,” said Mrs. Easterfield; “it would be a shame for her to go away and leave her uncle.  You have one young lady, and you should not ask for both.  Olive must marry, and the captain must go and live with her.”

“Have you arranged all that?” said he.  “I remember you were a great schemer when quite a little girl.”

“I am as great as ever,” said she.  “And I have selected the gentleman.”

“Oh, ho!” cried the lieutenant.  “And is that all settled?  Olive should have told me that.”

“She could not do it,” said Mrs. Easterfield; “for it is not all settled.  There are some obstacles in the way; and the greatest of them is that she does not love him.”

The lieutenant laughed.  “Then that is settled.  I know Olive.”

Mrs. Easterfield flushed, and then laughed.  “I doubt that knowledge.  It is certain you do not know me!  The young man loves her with all his heart; there is no objection to him; and I am most earnestly in favor of the match.”

“Ah” said the lieutenant, with a bow; “if that is the case, I must get a pencil and paper and calculate what I can give her for her trousseau.  I hope the wedding will not come off very soon, for I am decidedly short at present, on account of recent matrimonial expenses.  Would you mind telling me his name?  Is he naval?”

“Oh, no,” said she; “he is pedagogy.”

“What!” he cried, his eyes wide open.

Then she laughed and told him all about Dick Lancaster.

“Of course,” concluded Mrs. Easterfield, “I can not ask you not to speak to anybody about what I have told you, but I do hope you will prevent its getting to Olive’s ears.  I am afraid it would make a breach between us if she knew that I was trying to make a match for her.  And, you see, that is exactly what I am doing.”

“And you are right,” said the lieutenant; “and what is more, I am with you!  You don’t know,” he added in a softer tone, “how grateful I am to you for your care of Olive now that my dear wife is gone!”

For the moment he totally forgot that his dear wife had merely gone to the edge of the bluff with the captain and Olive to look at the river.

That evening, as they sat together, Lieutenant Asher told his brother all that Mrs. Easterfield had confided to him about Dick Lancaster.  The captain was delighted.