upprising to see _you_! I presume as we both happen to be walking
the same direction we might just's well keep together."

"Surprising to see me?" Noble said vaguely. "I haven't been away
anywhere in particular, Florence." Then, at a thought, he brightened.
"I'm glad to see you, Florence. Do you know if any of your family or
relatives have heard when your Aunt Julia is coming home?"

"Aunt Julia? She's out of town," said Florence. "She's visiting
different people she used to know when she was away at school."

"Yes, I know," Mr. Dill returned. "But she's been gone six weeks."

"Oh, I don't believe it's that long," Florence said casually; then with
more earnestness: "Mr. Dill, I was goin' to ask you somep'n--it's kind
of a funny question for _me_ to ask, but----"

"Yes, she has," Noble interrupted, not aware that his remark was an
interruption. "Oh, yes, she has!" he said. "It was six weeks
day-before-yesterday afternoon. I saw your father downtown this morning,
and he said he didn't know that any of the family had heard just when
she was coming home. I thought maybe some of your relatives had a letter
from her by this afternoon's mail, perhaps."

"I guess not," said Florence. "Mr. Dill, there was a question I thought
I'd ask you. It's kind of a funny question for _me_----"

"Are you _sure_ nobody's heard from your Aunt Julia to-day?" Noble
insisted.

"I guess they haven't. Mr. Dill, I was goin' to ask you----"

"It's strange," he murmured, "I don't see how people can enjoy visits
that long. I should think they'd get anxious about what might happen at
home."

"Oh, grandpa's all right; he says he kind of likes to have the house
nice and quiet to himself; and anyway Aunt Julia enjoys visiting,"
Florence assured him. "Aunt Fanny saw a newspaper from one the places
where Aunt Julia's visiting her school room-mate. It had her picture in
it and called her 'the famous Northern Beauty'; it was down South
somewhere. Well, Mr. Dill, I was just sayin' I believe I'd ask you----"

But a sectional rancour seemed all at once to affect the young man. "Oh,
yes. I heard about that," he said. "Your Aunt Fanny lent my mother the
newspaper. Those people in _that_ part of the country--well----" He
paused, remembering that it was only Florence he addressed; and he
withheld from utterance his opinion that the Civil War ought to be
fought all over again. "Your father said your grandfather hadn't heard
from her for several days, and e