wouldn't ask too much too soon. But some day--give me your blessing,
mother, for I've been lonely without you as long as I can bear it."

* * * * *

CHAPTER X

"The gentle art of cooking in a chafing-dish," discoursed Captain John
Rayburn, lightly stirring in a silver basin the ingredients of the cream
sauce he was making for the chopped chicken which stood at hand in a
bowl, "is one particularly adapted to the really intelligent masculine
mind. No noise, no fuss, no worry, no smoke, everything
systematic,"--with a practised hand he added the cream little by little
to the melted butter and flour--"business-like and practical. It is a
pleasure to contemplate the delicate growth of such a dish as this which
I am preparing. It is----"

"You _may_ have thickening enough for all that cream," Celia
interrupted, doubtfully, watching her uncle's cookery with an anxious
eye.

"And you _may_ have sufficient mental poise to be able to lecture on
cookery and do the trick at the same time," supplemented Doctor
Churchill, his eyes also on the chafing-dish. In fact, everybody's eyes
were on the chafing-dish.

The entire Birch family, Doctor Churchill, Lanse's friend, Mary
Atkinson; Jeff's comrade, Carolyn Houghton; and Just's inseparable,
Norman Carter--Just scorned girls, and when asked to choose whom he
would have as a guest for Captain Rayburn's picnic, mentioned Norman
with an air of finality--sat about a large rustic table upon a charming
spot of greensward among the trees of a little island four miles down
the river.

A great bowl of pond-lilies decorated the centre of the table; and
bunches of the same flowers, tied with long yellow ribbons, lay at each
plate.

When Captain Rayburn entertained he always did it in style. And since
this picnic had been especially designed to celebrate the home-coming of
the travellers, a week after their arrival, no pains had been spared to
make the festival one to be remembered.

Mrs. Birch was in the seat of honour, a position which she graced. In a
summer gown of white, her face round and glowing as it had not been in
years, she seemed the central flower of a most attractive bouquet. Mr.
Birch looked about him with appreciative eyes.

"I don't think _I_ could attend to the chafing-dish with any certainty
of result," he remarked. "I am too much occupied in observing the
guests. It strikes me that nowhere, either in New Mexico or Colorado,
d