had not been invented, though men occasionally
clubbed together and obtained accommodations more cheaply.

"Two years," returned Ben, musingly.

Dele was certainly growing prettier. Her hair wasn't even Titian colour
now, but a decided bright brown, and the curly roughness seemed just to
suit her. Then the freckles were disappearing. He didn't know as
freckles spoiled any one's complexion when it had that peachy softness
and the kind of creamy look. If her mouth was wide, it had some pretty
curves, and her teeth were beautiful. A Grecian nose would take all the
piquancy out of her face.

"It may be a little more than two years," considered Delia, "and The.
may start off again. Oh, I'm pretty sure to go some time!"

"I've quite made up _my_ mind to go some time," Ben announced gravely,
then laughed.

"It would be such fun to go together," said Dele, in her harum-scarum
fashion, without a thought of any future contingency. "I'll try to make
The. wait until I get rich enough."

Ben went home thinking what rare fun it would be to travel with some one
who saw the comical side of everything, and who could extract pleasure
straight along, as a bee could gather up honey. He enjoyed the fun
mightily, but he could not always bring it to pass. Joe and Jim had a
humourous side; but John had always been grave and steady-going. Ben
wanted some one to stir up the spirit of fun, and then he did his best
to keep it going. But he always had so much of the past seething in his
brain. The world had such a wonderful history! He was almost afraid that
now, when there was no war on hand, only Indian skirmishes, it would
grow common-place. There were no breathless romances about it, as there
were about Europe and Asia, where such conquerors as Tamerlane, Genghis
Khan, Alexander and Philip and Attila, Charlemagne and Napoleon had
stalked across the world as it was known then. Not that Ben had any
soldierly ambitions, but to youth everyday plodding along seems
unheroic.

The pleasant neighbourhood-life went on, though it must be confessed
that Hanny often longed for Daisy Jasper. Mr. Jasper had returned; and
the plan was now that the others might stay abroad two or three years.
Daisy had improved wonderfully at the baths. They would spend the winter
at Naples, and go back to Germany in the summer. Daisy was taking
lessons in music and painting and Italian.

She wrote about herself to Hanny. She only practised an hour a day, and
could