h in earnest to mean that I can come--oh, not whenever I
want to; I don't expect so much!--but if you mean that I can see you
pretty often."

"Of course I'm in earnest," she said. "But before I say you can come
'pretty often,' I'd like to know how much of my time you'd need if you
did come 'whenever you want to'; and of course you wouldn't dare
make any answer to that question except one. Wouldn't you let me have
Thursdays out?"

"No, no," he protested. "I want to know. Will you let me come pretty
often?"

"Lean toward me a little," Alice said. "I want you to understand." And
as he obediently bent his head near hers, she inclined toward him as if
to whisper; then, in a half-shout, she cried,

"YES!"

He clapped his hands. "By George!" he said. "What a girl you are!"

"Why?"

"Well, for the first reason, because you have such gaieties as that one.
I should think your father would actually like being ill, just to be in
the house with you all the time."

"You mean by that," Alice inquired, "I keep my family cheerful with my
amusing little ways?"

"Yes. Don't you?"

"There were only boys in your family, weren't there, Mr. Russell?"

"I was an only child, unfortunately."

"Yes," she said. "I see you hadn't any sisters."

For a moment he puzzled over her meaning, then saw it, and was more
delighted with her than ever. "I can answer a question of yours, now,
that I couldn't a while ago."

"Yes, I know," she returned, quietly.

"But how could you know?"

"It's the question I asked you about whether you were going to like
living here," she said. "You're about to tell me that now you know you
WILL like it."

"More telepathy!" he exclaimed. "Yes, that was it, precisely. I suppose
the same thing's been said to you so many times that you----"

"No, it hasn't," Alice said, a little confused for the moment. "Not at
all. I meant----" She paused, then asked in a gentle voice, "Would you
really like to know?"

"Yes."

"Well, then, I was only afraid you didn't mean it."

"See here," he said. "I did mean it. I told you it was being pretty
difficult for me to settle down to things again. Well, it's more
difficult than you know, but I think I can pull through in fair spirits
if I can see a girl like you 'pretty often.'"

"All right," she said, in a business-like tone. "I've told you that you
can if you want to."

"I do want to," he assured her. "I do, indeed!"

"How often is 'pretty often,' Mr. Russell?"