s till his return, wishing she had decided to go too.

He wrote often, giving excellent accounts of the "great creatures," as
Steve called Phebe and Mac, and seemed to find so much to do in various
ways that the second week of absence was nearly over before he set a
day for his return, promising to astonish them with the account of his
adventures.

Rose felt as if something splendid was going to happen and set her
affairs in order so that the approaching crisis might find her fully
prepared. She had "found out" now, was quite sure, and put away all
doubts and fears to be ready to welcome home the cousin whom she was
sure Uncle would bring as her reward. She was thinking of this one day
as she got out her paper to write a long letter to poor Aunt Clara, who
pined for news far away there in Calcutta.

Something in the task reminded her of that other lover whose wooing
ended so tragically, and opening a little drawer of keepsakes, she took
out the blue bracelet, feeling that she owed Charlie a tender thought in
the midst of her new happiness, for of late she had forgotten him.

She had worn the trinket hidden under her black sleeve for a long time
after his death, with the regretful constancy one sometimes shows in
doing some little kindness all too late. But her arm had grown too round
to hide the ornament, the forget-me-nots had fallen one by one,
the clasp had broken, and that autumn she laid the bracelet away,
acknowledging that she had outgrown the souvenir as well as the
sentiment that gave it.

She looked at it in silence for a moment, then put it softly back and,
shutting the drawer, took up the little gray book which was her pride,
thinking as she contrasted the two men and their influence on her life
the one sad and disturbing, the other sweet and inspiring "Charlie's was
passion Mac's is love."

"Rose! Rose!" called a shrill voice, rudely breaking the pensive
reverie, and with a start, she shut the desk, exclaiming as she ran to
the door: "They have come! They have come!"

Chapter 21 HOW PHEBE EARNED HER WELCOME

Dr. Alec had not arrived, but bad tidings had, as Rose guessed the
instant her eyes fell upon Aunt Plenty, hobbling downstairs with her
cap awry, her face pale, and a letter flapping wildly in her hand as she
cried distractedly: "Oh, my boy! My boy! Sick, and I not there to nurse
him! Malignant fever, so far away. What can those children do? Why did I
let Alec go?"

Rose got her into th