e
those waves beat."

The logical concatenation of this speech was not so apparent but that
it touched all the risible nerves of the party; and Miss Caruthers
could not understand why all three laughed so heartily.

"What did you expect when you came here?" asked Lois, still sparkling
with fun.

"Just what I found!" returned the other rather grumbly.

CHAPTER XV.

TACTICS.

Miss Caruthers carried on the tactics with which she had begun. Lois
had never in her life found her society so diligently cultivated. If
she walked out, Miss Caruthers begged to be permitted to go along; she
wished to learn about the Islands. Lois could not see that she advanced
much in learning; and sometimes wondered that she did not prefer her
brother or her lover as instructors. True, her brother and her lover
were frequently of the party; yet even then Miss Julia seemed to choose
to take her lessons from Lois; and managed as much as possible to
engross her. Lois could see that at such times Tom was often annoyed,
and Mr. Lenox amused, at something, she could not quite tell what; and
she was too inexperienced, and too modest withal, to guess. She only
knew that she was not as free as she would have liked to be. Sometimes
Tom found a chance for a little walk and talk with her alone; and those
quarters of an hour were exceedingly pleasant; Tom told her about
flowers, in a scientific way, that is; and made himself a really
charming companion. Those minutes flew swiftly. But they never were
many. If not Julia, at least Mr. Lenox was sure to appear upon the
scene; and then, though he was very pleasant too, and more than
courteous to Lois, somehow the charm was gone. It was just as well,
Lois told herself; but that did not make her like it. Except with Tom,
he did not enjoy herself thoroughly in the Caruthers society. She felt,
with a sure, secret, fine instinct, what they were not high-bred enough
to hide;--that they did not accept her as upon their own platform. I do
not think the consciousness was plain enough to be put into words;
nevertheless it was decided enough to make her quite willing to avoid
their company. She tried, but she could not avoid it. In the house as
out of the house. Tom would seek her out and sit down beside her; and
then Julia would come to learn a crochet stitch, or Mrs. Caruthers
would call her to remedy a fault in her knitting, or to hold her wool
to be wound; refusing to let Mr. Lenox hold it, under the