son why he should not mount the front
steps and ring the doorbell, but a carriage-way led to a side entrance,
and he felt certain that the gay laughter he could hear belonged to the
person he had come to seek. So, guided by his ears, he followed this
driveway till he could see the frolicking trio, then stopped abruptly
before being himself discovered, and stepped behind a bed of tall
cannas, where he deliberately peeped through the interstices of the
massive foliage, his eyes shining with pleasure over the pretty sight.

It seemed a pity to him that he must tell his business and see that
laughing young face settle into the maturer lines of thought and
calculation. He would have liked to keep care and trouble far from it.
But Robin, darting and tumbling about after a ball, pitched erratically
in any direction but the right one from Dodo's plump little paw, soon
found him out, and the puppy set up such a terrific barking as compelled
attention.

"I surrender!" he cried, with a deprecating look at Joyce as he emerged.
"I was just--just botanizing, you know." Delighted that she broke into
merry laughter over the palpable fib he joined in, adding presently,
"Pardon me, but you all looked so jolly! And you know I don't often see
you this way."

"I should hope not!" hastily pinning up a stray tress, and wrapping her
gown frills around a rent made by the over-eager spaniel. "Down, Robin,
down! You tear one to pieces when you get so excited. Pray come in, Mr.
Dalton, and Dodo dear, run home with Wobin a little while now. We'll
finish our play later."

Before Dodo had time to raise a protest, Mr. Dalton broke in,
pleadingly,

"Mightn't we sit here, Miss Lavillotte? I see chairs under the big tree,
and it's so charming out there."

"Oh, yes," added Dodo, seeing her advantage, "we can tay out heah,
Doyce, an' I'll talk to my doggy while you talk to--dat ozzer one,"
nodding her head shyly towards Dalton.

"Why Dodo!" cried the young hostess, half shocked, though wholly amused.
But as Dalton again broke out she joined him, Dodo quite impersonally
adding her cadenza.

She was delighted to feel that Joyce was not going to be sober and
disagreeable with this visitor, and send her home before her play was
out.

"I think we'll get on thus paired off--I and the other dog," he said,
taking the chair Joyce indicated and dropping luxuriously back into its
spreading seat, with his hands laid along its broad arms. "How
delightful t