ung lady, and then the others came
shyly up with greetings.

"You didn't know I had a surprise up my sleeve, did you?" Blue Bonnet
challenged the girls.

"You must wear long sleeves!" laughed Kitty, tilting her chin to look
up at the tall military figure.

The General laughed with the rest but Blue Bonnet could see him
looking about with some impatience. "Where's Alec?" he asked finally.

"We'll go find him. Take everybody indoors, will you, Grandmother?
I'll be back in a minute." Looking particularly small and slight, Blue
Bonnet moved off with her tall companion towards the croquet-ground,
where Alec, all unconscious of their approach, stood on a step-ladder
adjusting one of the paper lanterns.

"How is the boy by this time?" General Trent asked.

"I--I don't know," Blue Bonnet stammered. It was quite true; she had
given up trying to guess the state of Alec's health.

The horizontal line between the General's eyes grew deeper: it was
plain that the girl shrank from telling him the worst.

Alec had started to descend the ladder when he caught sight of the
approaching pair. For a second he stood transfixed with surprise; then
with a real cowboy "whoop" of joy, took a flying leap from his perch,
cleared various obstacles with a bound, and literally fell upon his
grandfather.

"How splendid of you to come, sir!" was all he could exclaim for some
minutes.

Finally the General took him by the shoulders and held him off,
looking him over from head to foot. Blue Bonnet saw a look of
incredulous wonder grow in his eyes, as he took in the increased
breadth of the boy, the erect carriage and the red that glowed through
the sunburn of his rounded cheeks.

"Why, boy, how you've grown!"

"Have I?" asked Alec eagerly. "Never felt so well before in all my
life!"

Well? Blue Bonnet felt her face grow hot. How could Alec say that
when he had let her--even urged her--to write that letter to his
grandfather? If it was a joke, it struck her that Alec must have
developed rather poor taste in jokes. She could feel the General's
eyes upon her, questioning mutely. She could not meet his glance yet,
and said with elaborate carelessness:

"I reckon you two would like to have a little talk, and the girls are
waiting for me." She sped back to the house, and soon forgot her
indignation in the joy of the We are Sevens' reunion.

"It seems too good to be true!" she exclaimed, gazing happily from one
girl to another, as the seven