a--a smooth face," said Dr. Spearmint,
delighted in his delight. _He_ had curly brown hair and a smooth face.

"He has blue eyes"--he glanced, a little troubled, at Notely's big
sparkling orbs--"_mild_ blue eyes," he corrected the statement, in such
a soft voice!

"Indeed they must be _mild_," cried Miss Langham.

Dr. Spearmint coughed considerably, and blushed.

"He--he wears a blue necktie," he said, the mild blue eyes falling.

"O Dr. Spearmint! I believe--why, it must be _you_!" cried the merry
girl, with a laugh as gay as rushing brooks.

The boys and girls in the audience laughed loudly at this not
unexpected climax.

Dr. Spearmint, much embarrassed, went inside to put away his money, but
was seen to steal sly glances, and a rearrangement of the blue
neck-ribbon in his little cracked mirror.

"Dew come again!" he said faintly, as they were going.

"Why, certainly, as the understanding is now, Miss Langham will expect
to call often, I suppose," said Notely.

"Oh, dear me! yes," cried Grace Langham.

"Are we--ahem!"--Dr. Spearmint could not lift those mild blue
eyes--"are we engaged?"--his sweet voice sinking, almost inaudible.

"Oh, positively, doctor! Why, of course! Oh, dear me! good-by, poor
dear. Oh, how pathetically amusing!" said she, walking with Notely
toward the carriage.

A tall girl had come up, and stood in the shadow, in the doorway.

Notely, catching a glimpse of her in passing, lifted his cap, his face
burning, his eyes glowing, with a look of intense love and of
possession.

Grace Langham turned, with a woman's instinct.

Vesty, standing there, dim and tall, in her laceless, fashionless gown,
met her glance with a long, serious look that contained nothing either
of alarm or suspicion.

"I know," murmured Grace. "I've heard the name of 'Vesty'--_that_ is
Vesty."

"That is Vesty," said her companion.

"And you love her, I believe," said Grace Langham to her own breast,
but sighed aloud; a gentle, bewitching sigh that divined deeper of
Notely's mood than further laughter would have done then.

As they passed out of sight, riches and gay things and the last light
of day seemed to go with them.

The mirth the children were having, congratulating Dr. Spearmint on his
engagement, sounded crude.

"Nature has done so much for me, you know," he said, with his weak,
throbbing vanity, his hand nervously on the blue tie.

Vesty went over to him and put both hands on his head.