such a thing had happened. It would spoil Phillis's mirth,
for she was very proud; and it might shock their mother.

"Oh, he will think us such tomboys for grown-up young ladies!" sighed
Dulce, who was only just grown up.

"Never mind what he thinks," returned Nan, walking fast, for she was
anxious to come to Phillis's relief. She joined them very quietly, and
held out her hand to Archie as though nothing had happened.

"Is this a favorite walk of yours, Mr. Drummond? We thought we had it
all to ourselves, and so the girls had a race. They will be dreadfully
troubled at having a spectator; but it might be worse, for you already
know us well enough not to misconstrue a little bit of fun."

"I am glad you judge me so truly," returned Archie, with a gleam of
pleasure in his eyes. Phillis certainly looked uncommonly handsome, as
she stood there, flushed and angry. But how sweet and cool Nan
looked!--not a hair ruffled nor a fold of her dress out of order;
whereas Dulce's brown locks were all loose about her shoulders, shaken
down by the exercise. Nevertheless, at that moment Phillis looked the
most striking.

"I am afraid my sudden appearance has put your sister out dreadfully.
I assure you I would have made myself into thin air if I could," went
on Archie, penitently; "but all the same it was impossible not to
applaud the winner. I felt inclined to wave my hat in the air, and
cry, 'Bravo, Atalanta!' half a dozen times. You made such pretty
running, Miss Challoner; and I wish Grace could have seen it."

The last word acted like magic on Phillis's cloudy brow. She had
passed over two delicately-implied compliments with a little scorn.
Did he think her, like other girls, to be mollified by sugar-plums and
sweet speeches? He might keep all that for the typical young lady of
Hadleigh. At Oldfield the young men knew her better.

It must be owned that the youth of that place had been slightly in awe
of Phillis. One or two had even hinted that they thought her
strong-minded. "She has stand-off ways, and rather laughs at a fellow,
and makes one feel sometimes like a fool," they said; which did not
prove much, except that Phillis showed herself above nonsense, and
had a knowledge of shams, and would not be deceived, and, being the
better horse of the two, showed it; and no man likes to be taken down
in his class.

As Phillis would not flirt,--not understanding the art, but Dulce
proved herself to be a pretty apt pupil,--the