lizabeth's old schoolmates called, but Madeline Oliver was
not one of the number. Horace, however, had not forgotten his old
allegiance, and often dropped in of an evening with a box of candy to
sit on the veranda with Elizabeth and tell her how badly his father was
using him in still keeping him at school. When Elizabeth was perfectly
honest with herself she was forced to confess that Horace bored her,
and she wished he would stay away and let her play with Baby Jackie.
On the other hand, it was very nice to sit on their white-pillared
veranda with him and see the other girls pass. For, as Estella had
pointed out, it was so poky and slow to be like Madeline Oliver and
never have a boy come near you, and whatever Beth did, she warned, she
was not to get like that.

"But boys don't like me," Elizabeth explained dolefully, "and Horace is
awfully tiresome; now, Stella, isn't he?"

"Why, no, I think he's heaps of sport if you just know how to take him,
Beth," Estella declared. "But you don't know how to treat boys. Now,
when you're sitting here on the veranda in the evening, and any of the
fellows pass, why don't you call to them, and ask them something, or go
down to the gate and talk about the lacrosse matches or the regatta.
All the boys like to talk sport. You just try it."

But Elizabeth did not follow this wise advice. It had quite the wrong
effect, for when she sat alone on the steps of an evening, and some of
her old boy schoolmates passed, the remembrance of Estella's
admonitions made her turn her back and pretend she did not see them, or
even rise and retreat indoors. But she had plenty of company, for she
was very popular with her girl friends, and Horace saved her from
Estella's entire disapproval.

"I was telling Aunt Jarvis you were here, Beth," he said one evening as
he passed the chocolates to Mrs. Coulson. Annie looked interested. "I
suppose Mrs. Jarvis would not recognize Elizabeth now," she said
tentatively.

"She said she'd like to see her. Why don't you come and call on aunt,
and bring her?" asked the boy.

But Mistress Annie knew better than that, and made some vague excuse.
She well knew that Elizabeth would not be a welcome visitor just now at
the house with the triple pillars. And so the days went by, and though
the lady on whom Elizabeth's hopes were supposed to depend was only a
few streets away, she did not see her, and Mrs. Coulson, remembering
her aunt's admonitions, was forc