But
Florrie, sipping her tall glass and setting it aside, was before her.

"You see it was double-barrelled jealousy; so I did rather well not to
fly at you and tear your eyes out, didn't I? Just because you and he
came in together . . . as if every time a man and girl walk down the
street together it means that they are going to get married! But you
see, Roddy and I have known each other ever since before I can
remember, and I have asked myself a million times if some day we are
going to be Mr. and Mrs. Roderick Norton . . . and there are times when
I think we are!"

"You have a long time ahead of you yet, haven't you, Florence, before
you have to answer a question like that?" asked Virginia amusedly.

"Because I am so young?" cried Florrie. "Oh, I don't know; girls marry
young here. Now there is Tita . . . she is our cook's sister . . . she
has two babies already and she is only four months older than I am.
And . . . Look, Virgie; there is the most terrible creature in the
world. It is Kid Rickard; he killed the Las Palmas man, you know. I
am not going even to look at him; I hate him worse that Caleb
Patten . . . and that's like saying I hate strychnine worse than
arsenic, isn't it? But who in the name of all that is wonderful is the
man with him? Isn't he the handsome thing? I never saw him before.
He is from the outside, Virgie; you can tell by the fashionable cut of
his clothes and by the way he walks and . . . Isn't he distinguished!"

"It is Elmer!" exclaimed Virginia, staring at the two figures which
were slowly approaching from the southern end of the street. "When did
he get here? I didn't expect him. . . ."

Then she chose to forget all save the essential fact that her "baby
brother" was here and ran out to the sidewalk, calling to him.

"Hello, Sis," returned Elmer nonchalantly. He was a thin,
anaemic-looking young fellow a couple of years younger than Virginia
who affected a swagger and gloves and who had a cough which was
insistent, but which he strove to disguise. And yet Florrie's
hyperbole had not been entirely without warrant. He had something of
Virginia's fine profile, a look of her in his eyes, the stamp of good
blood upon him. He suffered his sister to kiss him, meantime turning
his eyes with a faint sign of interest to the fair girl on the veranda.
Florrie smiled.

"Sis," said Elmer, "this is Mr. Rickard. Mr. Rickard, shake hands with
my sister, Miss Page."

A feeling