either way she felt that she had
spoiled her life.

Looking out of the window listlessly, late one afternoon, her attention
was awakened by a man approaching with some cut flowers in his hand. She
noticed with a curious interest that he wore a cap like the one she had
remarked in the hands of Millard's valet. As he passed beneath the
window, she distinctly recognized Robert as the man Millard had sent to
hasten the coming of the coupe, and when he mounted the steps she felt
her pulses beat more quickly.

Her mother entered presently with the flowers.

"From Mrs. Hilbrough with inquiries," Mrs. Callender read from the card
as she arranged the flowers in a vase on the low marble table under the
pier-glass.

"Mrs. Hilbrough?" said Phillida with a feeling of disappointment. "But
that was Charley Millard's man."

"No, that is the man Mrs. Hilbrough has sent ever since you were taken
ill," said the mother. "He speaks in a peculiar English way; did you
hear him? You've got a better color this evening, I declare."

"Mama, that is Charley's man," persisted Phillida. "I saw him at the
Graydon. And the flowers he has brought all along are in Charley's
taste--just what he used to send me, and not anything out of Mrs.
Hilbrough's conservatory. Give me a sip of water, please." Phillida's
color had all departed now.

Having drunk the water she leaned against her chair-back and closed her
eyes. Continuous and assiduous attention from Mrs. Hilbrough was more
than she had expected; and now that the messenger was proven to be
Millard's own man, she doubted whether there were not some mystery about
the matter, the more that the flowers sent were precisely Millard's
favorites.

The next day Phillida sat alone looking into the street, as the twilight
of a cloudy evening was falling earlier than usual, when Agatha came
into the room to light two burners, with a notion that darkness might
prove depressing to her sister. Phillida turned to watch the process of
touching a match to the gas, as an invalid is prone to seek a languid
diversion in the least things. When the gas was lighted she looked out
of the window again, and at the same moment the door-bell sounded. To
save Sarah's deserting the dinner on the range, Agatha answered it.
Phillida, with a notion that she might have a chance to verify her
recognition of Millard's valet, kept her eyes upon the portion of the
front steps that was visible where she sat. She saw Millard himself