Miss Joy," she said shyly, as they were set
down at home.

"I'm sure I'm glad. Good-night, Miss Arden." And that was all the notice
which Berenice Joy took of her youngest guest, beyond the necessary
good-afternoon when they first met on the wharf.

Candace was too unexacting, and too much accustomed to think of herself
as a child to whom no particular attention was due, to realize or resent
being treated with this scant courtesy. She told Cousin Kate about the
sail and the seine steamer, and all the Captain's tales and
explanations, with a glow of enjoyment which surprised Gertrude, and
perhaps pricked her conscience somewhat; for that night, at
hair-brushing time, she surprised Georgie by the observation, "After
all, Cannie is quite a sweet little thing."

"So she is, sweet enough; but what makes you think of it just now?"

"Why, we rather left her out this afternoon, I am afraid. Hardly anybody
said a word to her, except the Captain. It was rude enough of Berry, for
it was her party; but I think it was worse for us. Any other girl would
have been hurt and cross, and showed it; but Cannie never seemed to mind
a bit, and enjoyed everything, and was just as nice and pleasant as if
she had been the belle of the party."

"Well, it _was_ too bad," said Georgie, penitently. "I never thought
about it, and I sat ever so far off from her, and Arnold Foster was so
funny--in fact, I forgot Cannie. I took it for granted that she was
being entertained, somehow."

"I'm afraid both of us find it pretty easy to forget Cannie," remarked
Gertrude. "Well, I shall try to do better another time."

CHAPTER VI.

A TALK ABOUT SHYNESS.

"CANNIE," said Mrs. Gray, a few days after the sailing-party, "would you
like to study French this summer, with Marian for company?"

"Y-es," replied Cannie; but she said it more because she saw that a yes
was expected of her, than because of any real pleasure at the idea. Like
most girls who have had scanty or poor teaching, she liked to read a
great deal better than she liked to study.

"Do you know any French at all?" continued her cousin.

"No, not any. There wasn't anybody at home who taught it; and if there
had been, I don't believe Aunt Myra would have let me learn. She thinks
English is a good enough language for anybody. I did study Latin a
little while, though. Aunt Myra consented to that, because we had papa's
Latin books in the house, and she said they might as well be useful