ised when he entered our yard and knocked at our door. Juliet
arose to answer his summons, but Emma prevented her, saying;

"Suffer me to go, will you?"

She was gone some time, and when she returned was accompanied by the
stranger, whom she introduced as Mr. Ashmore. I surveyed him with
childish curiosity, and drew two very satisfactory breaths when I saw
that he was wholly unlike Monsieur Penoyer. He was a very fine-looking
man, but I did not exactly like the expression of his face. It was
hardly open enough to suit me, and I noticed that he never looked you
directly in the eye. In five minutes I had come to the conclusion that
he was not half so good a man as Mr. Evelyn. I was in great danger,
however, of changing my mind, when I saw how fondly his dark eye
rested on Emma, and how delighted he seemed to be at her improved
health; and when he, without any apparent exertion, kept the whole
company entertained, I was charmed, and did not blame Emma for liking
him. Anna's doctor was nothing to him, and I even fancied that he
would dare to go _all alone_ to the old mine!

Suddenly he faced about, and espying me in the corner, he said, "Here
is a little lady I've not seen. Will some one introduce me?"

With the utmost gravity Anna said, "It is my sister, little crazy
Jane."

I glanced quickly at him to see how he would receive the intelligence,
and when, looking inquiringly first at me and then at Emma, he said,
"Is it really so? what a pity!" the die was cast--I never liked him
again. That night in my little low bed, long after Lizzie was asleep,
I wept bitterly, wondering what made Anna so unkind, and why people
called me crazy. I knew I looked like other children, and I thought I
acted like them, too; unless, indeed, I climbed more trees, tore more
dresses, and burst off more hooks.

But to return to the party. After a time I thought that Mr. Ashmore's
eyes went over admiringly to Carrie more frequently than was
necessary, and for once I regretted that she was so pretty. Ere long,
Mr. Ashmore, too, went over, and immediately there ensued between
himself and Carrie a lively conversation, in which she adroitly
managed to let him know that she had been three years at school in
Albany. The next thing that I saw was that he took from her curls a
rosebud and appropriated it to his buttonhole. I glanced at Emma to
see how she was affected, but her face was perfectly calm, and wore
the old sweet smile. When the young lad