membered how pleased Mrs. Forsythe always was to see her. "She
won't have any anxiety this summer which will injure her health!" And
then she tried to disguise her thought by saying to herself that there
were no girls in Ashurst who were not "suitable."

"Good-evening," some one said gayly. It was Mr. Forsythe, who had come so
quietly along the path, dark with its arching laburnums and syringas, she
had not heard him.

"Oh," she said, with a little start of surprise, "I did not know we were
to see you to-night. Is your mother"--

"I'm like the man in the Bible," he interrupted, laughing. "He said he
wouldn't, then he did!" He had followed her to the library, and stood,
smiling, with a hand on each side of the doorway. "I started for a walk,
doctor, and somehow I found myself here. No cake, thank you,--yes, I
guess I'll have some sherry. Oh, the whist is over. Who is to be
congratulated, Mrs. Dale? For my part, I never could understand the
fascination of the game. Euchre is heavy enough for me. May I have some
of Mr. Dale's candy, Miss Lois?"

Except Mrs. Dale, the little party of older people seemed stunned by the
quick way in which he talked. His airy manner and flimsy wit impressed
them with a sense of his knowledge of life. He represented the world
to them, the World with a capital W, and they were all more or less
conscious of a certain awe in his presence. His utter disregard of the
little observances and forms which were expected from Ashurst young
people gave them a series of shocks, that were rather pleasant than
otherwise.

Mr. Dale looked confused, and handed him the candy with such nervous
haste, some of it fell to the floor, which gave the young man a chance
for his frequent light laugh. Miss Deborah began in an agitated way to
pick up the crumbs of cake from her lap, and ask her sister if she did
not think Sarah had come for them. Mr. Denner stopped talking about a new
sort of fly for trout, and said he thought--yes, he really thought, he
had better be going, but he waited to listen with open-mouthed admiration
to the ease with which the young fellow talked.

Mr. Forsythe's conversation was directed to Mrs. Dale, but it was for
Lois; nor did he seem aware of the silence which fell on the rest of
the company. Mrs. Dale enjoyed it. She answered by nods, and small
chuckles of approval, and frequent glances about at the others, as much
as to say, "Do you hear that? Isn't that bright?" and a certain air of