rejoined, "but I don't believe I ever thought much
about it."

Madam Fulton nodded quite gayly.

"That's it!" she cried. "Don't you see you haven't? When they have it,
they're always thinking about it. It's like a cinder in the eye. My
dear, you're just as bad as I am, and I thank my stars I've met you."

But all this touch and go was a strange, poor sequel to the task of that
confession. It had all turned out very small beer indeed, except so far
as Electra was concerned. Electra, Rose was convinced, in a moment of
sadly mirthful fancy, was upstairs setting her judgments in order and
decorously glad to have been proven right.

"I'll go now," she said, rising. She felt very tired with it all. "I've
told you."

"But come again, my dear," the old lady insisted. "Be sure you come
again. You are so understanding, I shall miss you sadly. Come every
day."

Rose went down the garden path and noted, with some irony, that Billy
Stark, still smoking, turned away into the grape arbor. It looked like
the shyness of decorum. She could hardly know that Billy felt unable to
bear any more revelations from womenfolk. And now she said to herself,
"I shall have to tell grannie and I shall have to tell Peter."

Opportunity was easy, for Peter was at that moment coming whistling
along the road on the way to Electra's. When she saw him, her purpose
failed. He looked so boyish, so free and happy-hearted. How could she
give him a sordid secret to keep, in place of their admiring
comradeship?

"Where is my father?" she asked him, when they met and Peter had pulled
off his hat and salaamed before her.

"Gone down to the plantation to see Osmond."

She took fright.

"To see Osmond! How does my father know anything about him? How does he
dare--"

"Osmond sent for him," said Peter, turning to walk with her. He was
tossing up his stick and catching it, in love of the day. "It's the
first human being Osmond has expressed an interest in. But I don't
wonder. Everybody wants to see the chief."

"Why should he have sent?" she repeated to herself.

"I'll tell you something," continued Peter. "The chief will tell you
when you see him. He has been summoned."

"My father?"

"Yes. He is needed."

"Where?"

"He won't tell me. But it's urgent. It means canceling his engagements
here. Of course there's but one supposition."

"Russia?"

He nodded.

"I wish I could go with him," he said impetuously.

She looked at him, and his face