"No," he returned, in a low voice, and looked away from her with a moody
brow.

"That is strange," mused Iris. "I should think that you would inspire
her with a love for it."

"If it is not in one's soul, how can you expect to find it there," he
retorted, rather bitterly. "No, Dorothy has no love for poetry, flowers,
or birds, nor, in fact, anything that other young girls care for. I
imagine she would quite as soon prefer a garden filled with hollyhocks
and morning-glories to the daintiest flowers that ever bloomed. Alas,
there are few tastes in common between us!"

CHAPTER XV.

"What a pity!" sighed Iris, and her hand crept sympathizingly into his.
The gloomy look deepened on his face.

"Do you believe that there is a true mate for each heart, Iris?" he
asked, suddenly.

"I might better ask _you_ that question," she answered, evasively. "You
are engaged--_you_ seem to have found a heart that is the mate for your
own."

"Do you think there is such a thing as making a mistake, even in so
grave a matter?" he asked, huskily, "and that those who discover their
error should keep on straying further and further in the wrong path? Do
you not believe that there should be the most ardent love between those
who wed--and that where there is a lack of it the two should separate,
and each go his or her own way?"

Iris drooped her head; but ere she could reply--utter the words that
sprang to her lips--an exclamation of the deepest annoyance, mingled
with a fierce imprecation, was ground out from between Kendal's teeth.

There, directly in the path before them, stood Alice Lee.

Had she been standing there long? If so, she must have heard every word
that had been uttered.

Alice Lee had heard, and every word had cut to her heart like the sharp
point of a sword.

She had feared this, but had tried to reason the matter out in her own
mind; but although circumstances did look tellingly against the beauty
who had come to Gray Gables to be Dorothy Glenn's companion, yet she had
tried to make herself believe that her suspicions were groundless.

"Have you been eavesdropping?" cried Iris, springing to her feet, her
black eyes flashing luridly.

A thousand thoughts flashed through Alice Lee's mind in an instant.

No; she was too proud to let them realize that she had overheard the
perfidy of Dorothy's treacherous lover.

No; better plead ignorance, until she had time to think over the matter,
for Dorothy's sake