r," quoth she. "_His_ pain was nothing. She
sacrificed him, too."

"And why not? Surely no man would grudge a paltry three years out of
his whole life's happiness to avoid so dreadful a thing as ill blood
between twin brothers. If _she_ could wait for his sake, _he_ could
wait for hers. A woman must not cheapen herself; if she is worth
winning, she must exact the effort."

"I think it is a lovely story," Blanche interposed, decidedly. "The
lady behaved beautifully; just exactly as she should have done. A
quarrel between brothers is awful, and between twin brothers would be
awfuler still."

In her eager partisanship, Blanche's language was more concise than
elegant, but she wanted Pocahontas to know that she sided with her.

Norma regarded her sister with amusement not unmixed with chagrin.
These new friends were stealing away her follower. Blanche was
becoming emancipated.

"Any woman who trifles with her happiness, because of a scruple, is a
fool," she repeated, dogmatically.

Pocahontas held back the angry retort that was burning on the tip of
her tongue, and let the subject drop. Norma was her guest, and, after
all, what did it matter what Norma thought? But after that she
refrained from repeating old stories before her; and of the two
sisters, Blanche became her favorite.

As she entered the parlor with smiles and words of welcome, Blanche
held out her hands filled with late roses and branches of green holly,
bright with berries.

"See," she said, "two seasons in one bouquet. The roses are for your
mother. I found them on a bush in a sheltered corner; and as we came
along I made Nesbit cut the holly for me. I never can resist holly.
That tree by your gate is the loveliest thing I have ever seen; just
like those in the store windows at home for Christmas. Only we never
had such a profusion of berries, and I don't think they were as bright.
Do you think the holly we get at home is as bright, Norma?"

"Oh, yes; it looked always pretty much the same. We got beautiful
holly every Christmas," replied Norma, who did not like Virginia
exalted at the expense of her native place.

"But not with such masses of berries. Just look at this branch; was
there ever any thing more perfect? Princess, please give me something
to put it in. It's far too pretty to throw away. Can I have that vase
on the piano?"

Pocahontas smiled assent. She could have holly by the cart-load, but
she liked Blanche's ent