ling
arm; a heliotrope parasol shielded her infinitesimally from the amorous
sun. Poor William!

Two youths entirely in William's condition of heart accompanied the
glamorous girl and hung upon her rose-leaf lips, while Miss Parcher
appeared dimly upon the outskirts of the group, the well-known penalty
for hostesses who entertain such radiance. Probably it serves them
right.

To William's reddening ear Miss Pratt's voice came clearly as the
chiming of tiny bells, for she spoke whimsically to her little dog in
that tinkling childlike fashion which was part of the spell she cast.

"Darlin' Flopit," she said, "wake up! Oo tummin' to tea-potty wiz all de
drowed-ups. P'eshus Flopit, wake up!"

Dizzy with enchantment, half suffocated, his heart melting within him,
William turned from the angelic sounds and fairy vision of the window.
He ran out of the room, and plunged down the front stairs. And the next
moment the crash of breaking glass and the loud thump-bump of a heavily
falling human body resounded through the house.

Mrs. Baxter, alarmed, quickly excused herself from the tea-table, round
which were gathered four or five young people, and hastened to the front
hall, followed by Jane. Through the open door were seen Miss Pratt, Miss
Parcher, Mr. Johnnie Watson and Mr. Joe Bullitt coming leisurely up the
sunny front walk, laughing and unaware of the catastrophe which had just
occurred within the shadows of the portal. And at a little distance from
the foot of the stairs William was seated upon the prostrate "Battle of
Gettysburg."

"It slid," he said, hoarsely. "I carried it upstairs with me"--he
believed this--"and somebody brought it down and left it lying flat on
the floor by the bottom step on purpose to trip me! I stepped on it and
it slid." He was in a state of shock: it seemed important to impress
upon his mother the fact that the picture had not remained firmly in
place when he stepped upon it. "It SLID, I tell you!"

"Get up, Willie!" she urged, under her breath, and as he summoned
enough presence of mind to obey, she beheld ruins other than the wrecked
engraving. She stifled a cry. "WILLIE! Did the glass cut you?"

He felt himself. "No'm."

"It did your trousers! You'll have to change them. Hurry!"

Some of William's normal faculties were restored to him by one hasty
glance at the back of his left leg, which had a dismantled appearance. A
long blue strip of cloth hung there, with white showing underne