nd blue sunshade slowly turning as it rested on her shoulder, was
strolling round the great flower-rimmed, lily-strewn outer basin of Mrs.
Dorsey's famed fountain, the school of crimson fish, like a streak of
fire in the water, following her. When she saw him coming toward them in
traveling suit, instead of the white serge he always wore on such days
as was that, she knew he was going away--a fortunate forewarning, for
she thus had time to force a less telltale expression before he
announced the reason for his call. "But," he added, "I'll be back in a
few days--a very few."

"Oh!" was all Del said; but her tone of relief, her sudden brightening,
were more significant than any words could have been.

Henrietta now joined them. "You take the afternoon express?" said she.

Ross could not conceal how severe a test of his civility this
interruption was. "Yes," said he. "My trap is in front of the house."

There he colored before Henrietta's expression, a mingling of amusement,
indignation, and contempt, a caustic comment upon his disregard of the
effect of such indiscretion upon a Saint X young married woman's
reputation. "Then," said she, looking straight and significantly at him,
"you'll be able to drop me at my house on the way."

"Certainly," was his prompt assent. When Saint X's morality police should
see him leaving the grounds with her, they would be silenced as to this
particular occurrence at least. After a few minutes of awkward
commonplaces, he and Henrietta went up the lawns, leaving Del there. At
the last point from which the end of the garden could be seen, he
dropped behind, turned, saw her in exactly the same position, the
fountain and the water lilies before her, the center and climax of those
stretches of white-and-gold blossoms. The sunshade rested lightly upon
her shoulder, and its azure concave made a harmonious background for her
small, graceful head with the airily plumed hat set so becomingly upon
those waves of dead-gold hair. He waved to her; but she made no sign of
having seen.

When Henrietta returned, Adelaide had resumed her reverie and her slow
march round the fountain. Henrietta watched with a quizzical expression
for some time before saying: "If I hadn't discouraged him, I believe he'd
have blurted it all out to me--all he came to say to you."

Del was still absent-minded as she answered: "It's too absurd. People are
so censorious, so low-minded."

"They are," rejoined Mrs. Hastings.