red? It was on
the point of Blue Bonnet's tongue to put the question, when Alec spoke
again.

"I've been putting off writing Grandfather,--what I told you a while
ago,--thinking I might feel different after a time. But I'm more
convinced than ever now. I had a long talk with Knight's friend 'Doc'
Abbott, and he gave me a thorough going over, as he called it--"

"And what did he say?"

"He agrees with me, absolutely. There's no Harvard or any other
college for Alec Trent--"

"Oh, Alec!" Blue Bonnet was trembling. To hide it she bent and picked
up little Texas, stroking one of his silky ears. The coyotes had been
placed in the empty rabbit-hutch, and were growing prodigiously.

"Well, it's better to know the truth and face it, isn't it?" Alec
asked, as if rather resenting her tone.

"Yes, but--I can't see how you can speak so lightly about it. It's so
dreadfully--serious."

"Lightly?" echoed Alec. "You're mistaken, Blue Bonnet. I know it's a
mighty serious business for me. Why, if I could view it lightly, I
could sit down and write Grandfather about it this very minute--"

"Well, if you don't, I'm going to!" she declared.

"Will you? Oh, Blue Bonnet, that's just what I've been hoping you'd
do!" The relief in Alec's tone was unmistakable. "He's mighty fond of
you, and I'm sure he'd consider that it came better from you than from
me. And it will be a lot easier for you to do it, under the
circumstances."

Easier! Blue Bonnet bent hastily and put Texas back in the bunny-house
so that Alec might not see her face. If he had not been absorbed in
his own thoughts he must have seen what a shock his words had been to
her. It was so unlike Alec to put upon a girl a task he felt too hard
for himself,--a sort of cowardice of which she would never have
believed him capable. It took her some seconds to steady her voice
before she could answer:

"I'll write to-morrow."

"You're a trump, Blue Bonnet! I seem to get deeper and deeper into
your debt," he said earnestly.

Blue Bonnet fastened the little door of the rabbit-hutch, leaving
Texas and Massachusetts to one of their frequent naps, and then walked
back to the house in silence. Alec, observing her, believed her to be
composing her letter to the General.

"The first of August to-day, just think how our summer is flying!"
remarked Amanda next morning.

"Just three weeks to Blue Bonnet's birthday," said Sarah, who was
engaged in making some mental calculations.

"