and reserved air for her years. The big brown eyes looked you squarely in
the face, although latterly they had a slightly distrustful expression.
Hurry home, Clayton Reeve, before it becomes habitual. The nose was
straight and sensitive, and the mouth the saving grace of the face, for
nothing could alter its soft, beautiful curves, and the lips continued to
smile as they had done in early childhood, when there was cause for smiles
only. The mother's finger seemed to rest there, all invisible to others,
and curve the corners upward, as though in apology for the hardened
expression gradually creeping over the rest of the face.

It is difficult to understand how a parent can leave a child wholly to the
care of strangers for so long a period as Mr. Reeve left Toinette, but one
thing after another led him further and further from home, first to
Southern Europe, then across the Mediterranean into wilder, newer scenes,
where nations were striving mightily. Then, just as he began to think that
ere long his own land would welcome him, news reached him of trouble in a
land still nearer the rising sun, and his firm needed their interests in
that far land carefully guarded. So thither he journeyed. But at last all
was adjusted, and, with a heart beating high with hope, he started for his
own dear land and dearer daughter.

It must be confessed that he had many conflicting emotions as the great
ship plowed its way across the broad Pacific, and ample time in which to
indulge them. Many were the mental pictures he drew of the girl there
awaiting him, and would have felt no little surprise, as well as
indignation, could he have known that she was left in ignorance of the
date of his arrival. But Miss Carter had reasons of her own for concealing
it, and had merely told Toinette that her father was contemplating a
return to the States during the coming year. It seemed rather a cold
message to the girl whose _all_ he was, for she had written to him
repeatedly, and poured out in her letters all the suppressed warmth of her
nature, yet never had his replies touched upon the subject of her
loneliness and intense desire to see him, but had always assured her that
he was delighted to know that she was happy and fond of her teachers. And
Toinette had not _quite_ reached the age of wisdom which caused her to
suspect _why_ he gave so little heed to such information, although it
would not have required a much longer residence at the Misses Carter's