ittle awkwardly.

She unwound the paper and gave a little cry of delight.

"Violets, oh, Launcelot--how did you know I loved them?"

"Guessed it--you had them on your hat, and I liked that violet colored
dress you wore."

"And they are so sweet and fragrant. Where could you get them this time
of year?"

"In my little hothouse. I forced them for you."

But he did not tell her of the hours he had spent over them.

She was silent for a moment. "It was lovely of you," she said, at
last, with a little flush and with a sweetness that she rarely
revealed. "It was lovely of you--and I was so hateful just now."

She reached out her hand to him, and his grasp was hearty, reassuring.
"It wouldn't seem natural if you and I didn't fuss a little, would it,
Judy?" and then the train pulled in.

"All aboard!" shouted the conductor.

Anne and Judy went through the Pullman, and came out on the observation
platform.

"Tell little grandmother to take good care of Belinda and Becky,"
called Anne, whose heart yearned for her pets.

"And all of you come and see me," cried Judy, hoping that she might win
some of the love that was extended to Anne.

"We will," they cried, "we will."

"We will," echoed Launcelot, with his eyes on the violets pinned on
Judy's gray coat, "we will if we have to sit up nights to do it."

A flutter of handkerchiefs, a blur of gray coat and red one, a trail of
blue smoke, and the train was gone, and life to those left in Fairfax
seemed suddenly a monotonous blank. As Launcelot turned away from the
station, he ran into Dr. Grennell, who was rushing breathlessly up the
steps.

"Has the train gone?" panted the minister.

"Yes."

Dr. Grennell wiped his heated forehead.

"I am sorry for that," he said, "I wanted especially to see the Judge."

He had a letter in his hand, and he stood looking at it perplexedly.

"To tell the truth, Launcelot," he began slowly, "I have something
strange to tell the Judge, and I didn't want him to get away before I
saw him. It isn't a thing to write about--and oh, why did I miss that
train--"

Launcelot waited while the minister stared wistfully down the shining
track.

"Look here, Launcelot," he asked, suddenly, "do you remember that
Spanish coin of Judy's?"

"Well, I should say I did," replied the boy.

"It's the strangest thing--the strangest thing--oh, I'm going to tell
you all about it, and see if you can help me out. Is there any place
that we can