mely,
granting him his desires and throwing a favor or two for lagnappe. By
four o'clock the wind had veered, the clouds no longer betokened rain,
broken spars of sunshine dazzled over the gold of the Sherman statue,
sparkled in the harness of prancing horses, and brightened the whiteness
of the great hotel. It was early in March, which, by the way, had decided
to enter like a meek little lamb this year instead of advancing with the
mien of an angry and roaring lion. The air was cool and fresh and yet
held all manner of soft, indescribable intimations of spring. The sky was
a sheet of pale gold, the trees were a purple mist against it.

Hayden drew a long breath of happiness as Marcia's steps fell in with
his; the sense of contentment and well-being which her mere presence
always afforded him seemed the more soothing and potent this afternoon
than ever before. Since yesterday, there had run high in his veins the
fever of acquisition, and Ydo's personality had disturbed and stimulated
until she had wrought in him a sort of mental confusion. But Marcia at
his side, smiling in the shadow of her plumed hat, the familiar violets
nestling in her dark furs, seemed the visible embodiment of all these
soft, sweet intimations of spring. Not yet jocund, as spring come into
her own crowned with flowers and laughing through her silver rain; but a
wistful spring still held in the thraldom of winter.

"What have you been doing that makes you look a little pale?" asked
Hayden tenderly.

"Am I pale?" She smiled at him. "I dare say. I have been painting the
greater part of every day and going out a good deal in the evening."

"What an idler I must seem to you who are always so occupied," he said.

"Not at all. I, too, take vacations. But tell me how you have been idling
lately."

"I idled, if you call it that," he said, "yesterday afternoon at the
wonderful fortune-teller's."

"Oh, you have seen Ydo?" Marcia lifted her head involuntarily, and then
meeting his surprised gaze, the color flooded her cheeks. It kept on
rolling up in waves.

Seeing her embarrassment, he was at pains to suppress his astonishment.

"Yes," he said as naturally as he possibly could under the circumstances.
"Yes, she gave me quite a long reading. Isn't that the professional word
for it--reading?"

"I--I believe so." She had not entirely recovered herself. "And are you
quite convinced of her powers?"

He gave a short laugh. "Oh, quite. More than convin