looked at her; but doubtfully, from the height of his fourteen
male years; and did not reply.

"Do you play?"

This was a false move, she felt it at once. Her question seemed to
offend him. "Should rather think I did!" he answered with a haughty air.

Weakly she hastened to retract her words. "Oh, I meant much--if you
played much?"

"Comes to the same thing I guess," said the boy--he had not yet reached
the age of obligatory politeness.

"It must be splendid"--here she faltered--"fun."

But the boy's thoughts had wandered: he was making signs to a friend
down in the front of the Stand.--Miss Snodgrass seemed to repress a
smile.

Here, however, the little girl at Laura's side chimed in. "I think
cricket's awful rot," she announced, in a cheepy voice.

Now what was it, Laura asked herself, in these words, or in the tone in
which they were said, that at once riveted the boy's attention. For he
laughed quite briskly as he asked; "What's a kid like you know about
it?"

"Jus' as much as I want to. An' my sister says so 's well."

"Get along with you! Who's your sister?"

"Ooh!--wouldn't you like to know? You've never seen her in Scots'
Church on Sundays I s'pose--oh, no!"

"By jingo!--I should say I have. An' you, too. You're the little sister
of that daisy with the simply ripping hair."

The little girl actually made a grimace at him, screwing up her nose.
"Yes, you can be civil now, can't you?"

"My aunt, but she's a tip-topper--your sister!"

"You go to Scots' Church then, do you?" hazarded Laura, in an attempt
to re-enter the conversation.

"Think I could have seen her if I didn't?" retorted the boy, in the
tone of: "What a fool question!" He also seemed to have been on the
point of adding: "Goose," or "Sillybones."

The little girl giggled. "She's church"--by which she meant
episcopalian.

"Yes, but I don't care a bit which I go to," Laura hastened to explain,
fearful lest she should be accounted a snob by this dissenter. The boy,
however, was so faintly interested in her theological wobblings that,
even as she spoke, he had risen from his seat; and the next moment
without another word he went away.--This time Miss Snodgrass laughed
outright.

Laura stared, with blurred eyes, at the white-clad forms that began to
dot the green again. Her lids smarted. She did not dare to put up her
fingers to squeeze the gathering tears away, and just as she was
wondering what she should do if one was inconsider