irl he had ever
known; but he feared she might find the process more wearing than she
anticipated.

"I beg your pardon, but is this Mr. Farrington?"

Both Theodora and Billy started and whirled around. In the rush of
incoming passengers, they had been looking for some one smaller, more
childish than this tall girl who stood before them. She was not at all
pretty. Her brown hair was too straight and lank and light, and her grey
eyes had a trick of narrowing themselves to a line; but her expression
was frank and open, and she wore her simple grey suit with an air which
spoke volumes for her past training. Across her arm hung a bright golf
cape with a tag end of grey fur sticking out from the topmost folds.

"Are you Cicely?" Mr. Farrington inquired.

"Yes, and I suppose you are Cousin William. Papa said I'd know you by
your hair." She caught herself, with a sudden blush. "Oh, I don't mean
that," she added hastily; "I think red hair is just lovely, only it is
rather uncommon you know."

Mr. Farrington laughed.

"Yes, fortunately," he remarked.

Cicely eyed him askance for a moment; then she too burst out laughing,
while two deep dimples appeared in her cheeks and a queer little pucker
came at the outer corners of her eyes. There was something so fresh, so
heartily frank about her that Theodora felt a sudden liking for the girl,
a sudden homesick twinge for her own healthy girlhood.

"There, I have made another of my speeches!" Cicely was saying, with a
contrition that was only half mockery. "I'm always doing it, and you will
have to put up with it. But truly I don't mind red hair, as long as it
doesn't curl; and I hadn't any idea of being rude."

"Mine is tolerably straight, and I'm not very sensitive about it now for
I have had it for some time," Billy observed gravely. "Cicely, this is
your Cousin Theodora."

The girl turned around and stretched out her hand eagerly.

"Oh, I am so glad to be with you!" she said. "It seems to me I've loved
you always, just from your books. You are so good to let me come to you.
Am I going to be very much in the way? I'll try to be very good, just as
good as I know how."

"And not be homesick?" Theodora asked laughingly, as she took Cicely's
hand in both of hers.

Instantly the grey eyes clouded.

"I'll try not," Cicely answered. "I know I shall be happy, only--I wish
papa needn't go so far away. We are all there are, you know, only Uncle
Joe." Her lips quivered a little,