gnes?"

"Horrid? It was beastly," sputtered Will. "_She_ to call people common!"

"But that girl is not common," said Tilly. "She may belong to people who
have just made a lot of money,--for that's what Agnes meant to fling
out,--but there isn't any vulgar common show of it. Look at her, how
plainly she's dressed, and how quiet she is."

"Wonder what Agnes is up to now? Let's go and see," said Will, wheeling
about and nodding to Tilly and Tom to follow.

As they came along together, Will a little ahead, Tom Raymond was quite
silent until they approached the group collected around the Indians;
then he suddenly ejaculated, "Well, I never!"

"What? What do you mean?--what--who do you see?" asked Tilly, very much
surprised at this outbreak.

"Is that the girl--the Smith girl you were telling about--there by the
tree--holding a basket?" asked Tom.

"Yes; why--do you know her?"

"N-o--but--I was thinking--she doesn't look common, does she?"

"Of course she doesn't, only plainly dressed."

"Yes, that's all;" and Tom gave a little odd chuckling laugh.

"How queer Tom Raymond is!" thought Tilly. She thought he was queerer
still, as she caught his furtive glances toward that Smith girl.
Presently Miss Tilly saw that the Smith girl was regarding Tom with
rather a puzzled observation.

"I see how it is," reflected Miss Tilly; "they have met before
somewhere, and Tom doesn't want to know her now. He thinks she isn't
fine enough for this Boston set, though he owns that she doesn't look
common. Oh, I do believe that Will Wentworth is the only one here who
has any sense or heart."

As Tilly arrived at this conclusion of her reflections, Will came
running up to her.

"Come," he said, "there's no fun here. Let's go and have a game of
tennis."

"But where's Agnes? I thought you wanted to see what she was doing."

"She's gone off in a huff because I asked her if she'd bought any
baskets," answered Will, grinning. Tilly laughed, and Tom Raymond gave
another odd little chuckle. Then the three strolled away to the tennis
ground. As they were passing the rustic bench under the tree where Mrs.
Smith and her niece were sitting, Tilly took a sudden resolution, and,
stopping abruptly, said,--

"We're going to have a game of tennis; won't you join us, Miss--Miss
Smith?"

The girl looked up with a smile, hesitated a moment, and then accepted
the invitation. Will, nodding to Tilly a surprised and pleased approval
of her action