yant as ever in her frock of crimson serge, her black curls tied
with ribbon and streaming in the wind, she was the loud centre of a
group of girls who played some running game to an accompaniment of
shrill cries and little screams of laughter.

"Do you like young girls?" Olive asked the question impulsively, after
a long silence.

"I am fond of my pupils; they are good little things, rather foolish,
but amiable. But I understand your feeling, my poor Miss Agar. Your
charge is--"

Olive hesitated. "It is a difficult age; and she has the body of
twenty and the sense of ten. I am putting it very badly, but--but I
was hateful years ago too. I think one always is, perhaps. I remember
at school there were self-righteous little girls; they were narrow and
intolerant, easily shocked, and rather bad-tempered. The others were
absurdly vain, sentimental, sly. All that comes away afterwards if one
is going to be nice."

"They are female but not yet womanly. The newly-awakened instincts
clamour at first for a hearing; later they learn to wait in silence,
to efface themselves, to die, even," answered the Fraeulein, gravely.

A victoria passed, then some youths on bicycles, shouting to each
other and ringing their bells. They were riding all together, but they
scattered to let Prince Tor di Rocca go by. He was driving tandem, and
his horses were very fresh. Edna was with him, her small wan face
rather set in its halo of ashen blonde hair and pale against the rich
brown of her sables.

When they came by the second time Mamie called to her cousin. The
Prince drew rein, and the groom sprang down and ran to the leader's
head.

"My, Edna, how cold you look! It's three days since I saw you, but I
guess Don Filippo has been doing the honours. Have you seen all the
old galleries and things? Momma said she noticed you and uncle in a
box at the Pergola last night."

She stood by the wheel, and as she looked up, not at Edna but at the
Prince, he glanced smilingly down at her and then away again.

"We are going back to the hotel now," Edna said. "Will you come and
have tea, Mamie? Is that Miss Agar over there? Ask her if you may, and
if she will come too."

"I don't need to ask her," the girl answered, but she went back
nevertheless and spoke to Olive.

"Can the groom take the cart home, Filippo? We will walk back with
them."

"Yes, Bellina is in spirits, but she will not run away from Giovanni,"
he said, trying not to seem surp