ne day. Miss Benson had
come to church, a bright rather pretty woman of five or six and twenty.
Her voice was attractive. Lilian had come to remark the differences in
voices. Some did repel you; many were indecisive.

They walked down to Elm place. This was the old end of the street in a
row of small detached houses with gardens running back to the next
street and a space of six feet or so between. The Trenham's was in very
nice tidy order, the windows with neat white drapery.

"Our next door neighbors are considered quite a detriment," explained
Edith Trenham. "The woman professes to be a clairvoyant, and there are
five children, two very unruly boys. I do hope they will go away in the
spring."

Edith ushered her guests into the pretty parlor where the cheerful fire
seemed to radiate pleasure as well as heat. In a small wheeling chair
sat the invalid, a pale little girl of fifteen, but who looked years
younger. She held out her hand to Lilian.

"Oh, what pleasure it is to see you," she cried. "Your color is
radiant--like a June rose, isn't it mamma? and such beautiful hair.
Edith is always well but she hasn't much color. Oh, if you could have
seen our roses in June! They were bewildering. Don't you feel that
gorgeous things sometimes are? Then the next door boys came over and
stole the roses and broke the bushes. I cried nearly all day. It seemed
as if I had been pulled to pieces. The mother said she was sorry but
that wouldn't put the roses back."

"Claire you will find is quite a spoiled child," Edith said, stooping to
kiss her. She was very pale and the dark hair framing in the little face
gave her an almost uncanny look.

When they had laid aside their wraps Claire took possession of Lilian
again, and wanted to know about the girls in the Seminary.

"Why, Claire, they are most all young ladies," said Edith.

"Well--are there many pretty ones? and what do they do beside study?
They would get tired studying all the time."

Lilian explained that they visited in each others rooms and had
calisthenics and danced, and went through some beautiful evolutions with
Indian clubs--

"Oh, how funny!" Claire interrupted. "Do they make believe they are
Indians?"

"Oh, no," and Lilian explained. They had a bell double quartette and
made lovely music by striking some sweet-toned bells with small wands,
and they were allowed to go down town. One evening a week there were
dances.

"Oh, do you dance? You look that way?