e he could never quite go back and forget that he had admitted
to himself that he was in love with Leslie, but he would keep it like
a precious jewel hid far in his heart, so carefully locked that not
even for his own delight would he take it out to look at now at this
time.

Having thus resolved, a weight seemed to have rolled from his
shoulders and he sprang up and walked with a quick tread down to the
village. There was a cheerful clang of victrolas, player-pianos and
twanging guitars as he passed the fraternity rooms, and he went
whistling on his way toward Cloudy Villa.

But as he neared the tall arched hedge, and looked eagerly for the
welcome light, he saw that the big living-room windows were only lit
by a soft play of firelight. Did that mean they were all sitting in
the firelight around the hearth? A fearful thought of the stranger
intruded just here upon his fine resolves, and to dispel it he knocked
noisily on the little brass knocker.

It was very still inside, but a quick electric light responded to his
knock and in a moment he could hear someone coming down-stairs to the
door. His heart leaped. Could it be Leslie? Ah! He must not--yet how
wonderful it was going to be to look at her this first time after
really knowing his own heart in plain language. Could he keep the joy
of her out of his eyes, and the wonder of her from his voice? Then the
door opened and there stood Cherry in negligee of flaring rosy cotton
crepe embroidered with gorgeous peacocks, and her pigtails in eclipse
behind an arrangement of cheap lace and pink ribbons.

"No, sir, Mister Howard, dey ain't none ob 'em heah! Dey got
cumpney--some young fellah fum back to Californy way. Dey done tuk him
out to see de town."

Howard's heart sank and he turned his heavy footsteps back to
college. The worst fear had come to pass. Of course reason asserted
itself, and he told himself that he was a fool, a perfect fool. Of
course they had to be polite to an old neighbor whether they liked him
or not. And what was he to presume to judge a stranger from a
five-minute conversation, and turn him down so completely that he
wasn't willing to have his old friends even like him? Well, he was
worse than he had thought himself and something would have to be done
about it.

What he did about it was to stay away from Cloudy Villa for almost a
week, and when Leslie at last, after repeated efforts to get hold of
him by telephone, called him up to say there