hen she discovered Elsie alone, she whispered something to her. The
little girl's brown eyes grew round with interest. She nodded once or
twice, murmuring, "Yes, yes!"

"And you must not breathe a word of it to anybody--not even to Teresa!"
said Ellen.

"Oh, no!" said Elsie, quite flattered that such a big girl should
confide in her.

Then--ah, merry Ellen!--did she not go herself and tell Teresa,
charging her also not to reveal it? Later she took occasion to say a
word to Frances upon the same topic.

"Splendid!" cried the latter. "I'll not speak of it, I promise you."

Finally, Ellen suggested the very same thing to Will, who chuckled,
looked at Joe, and asked:

"Are you sure you're on the right track?"

"You'll see if I'm not!" replied Ellen.

"Well, all I say is," he went on, condescendingly, "you've hit upon a
capital scheme; and you may bet your boots on it that I won't do
anything to spoil it."

The girl looked down at her strong but shapely shoes (she was a bit
vain of her neat foot), and thought that she would not be so unladylike
as to 'bet her boots' on anything. But, as Will's observation was
entirely impersonal, and intended as a pledge that he would follow her
instructions, she made no comment. Moreover, she had now brought about
the state of affairs which she had mischievously designed. Each of
the party except Joe supposed that he or she had a secret with Ellen
which the others knew nothing about; to each she had whispered her
conjecture regarding Joe's purpose, and planned that they, the two of
them, should please him by joining in it, without intimating their
intention to him or any one. What a general astonishment and amusement
there would be when it came out that all had known what each had been
enjoying as a secret!

Meantime they had been active, and each had gathered a fair quantity of
pretty flowers--arbutus, violets, anemones, and cherry blooms; to which
Teresa and Elsie insisted upon adding buttercups and even dandelions.
Now the sun was going down, and they gaily turned their steps toward
home.

III.

"A happy May-day!" the children called to one another the next morning,
as they set out, at a very early hour, upon their pleasant round of
floral gift-leaving. Before doing so, however, each had held a special
conference with Ellen.

"Yes, I've managed it. Won't everybody be surprised?" she quietly
agreed again and again. And yet _how_ surprised everybody would