me the insistent "goo's" of the smallest
Hopworth, to the accompaniment of a silver spoon beating against a
silver mug.

Through all the light chatter in the room there was an undertone of
deep happiness and contentment. Only occasionally Claire's eyes
flashed a worried, pleading message to Nancy that Nancy wilfully
ignored. But when, after supper, the others all went to the Hollyhock
porch and Nancy slipped away, the watchful Claire drew a sigh of relief
and proceeded to feel riotously happy.

As Nancy walked slowly down the path to the orchard she felt her heart
grow inexplainably, foolishly light. She was so glad that Peter Hyde
had come back.

The gladness shone in her eyes as she let him clasp her two hands. He
did not even ask her if she would forgive him; they both laughed
joyously, like two children.

"Wasn't it funny? Both of us up here pretending to be someone else."

"But it wasn't fair. You knew--and I didn't."

Peter hastened to defend himself. "I didn't--at first. And then
Claire made me promise not to let on that I knew. Anyway, I'd grown so
downright sick of that Barry Wallace that I wanted to just see if I
could make someone like plain Peter Hyde. Did I?" he asked.

Nancy ignored the direct question and avoided the pleading in Peter's
eyes.

"Why did you come here, Pet--Barry?"

"I wonder if you will understand, Nancy?" Peter's voice was serious.
"Mother thought I was crazy and Claire would have, too--at the time.
But when I heard you tell--that afternoon--what you thought of Claire's
brother, I decided I'd done just about the right thing. You see, when
I came back from the other side, just because father and mother are
quite prominent, I found that a lot of stuff had been printed about all
the things I'd done----"

"But you did do them," cried Nancy, warmly.

"Oh, yes, I did them, and I have got three or four medals--but then so
were a lot of other fellows doing the same things and a lot of 'em were
killed, doing them. You see, I just looked at it that everyone of us
went over to do our duty and most all of us did--and that's all there
was to it. So when I came back it was a sort of a shock to fall into
the mess I found waiting for me. I couldn't turn around that I wasn't
asked to appear at a tea or a reception or a banquet or a church circle
or something or other to speak. Every other minute I was dodging a
photographer. And you see the worst of it all was that they were