ant it to be a surprise. That's half the fun."

But there was nothing funny about it, as it proved, for it was on that
very Friday morning that Richard had found Peggy much better, and Anne
very pale with circles under her eyes.

He went away, and later his mother called Anne up. She asked her to spend
the day at Crossroads. Richard would come for her and would bring her
home after dinner.

Anne, with a fluttering sense of excitement, packed her ruffled white
frock in a little bag, and was ready when Richard arrived.

At the gate they met Geoffrey Fox. The young doctor stopped his horse.
"Come and have lunch with us, Fox?"

"I'm sorry. But I must get to work. How long are you going to keep Miss
Warfield?"

"As late as we can."

"To-night?"

"Yes."

"I have a chapter ready to read to her, and you ask her to eat with you
as if she were any every-day sort of person. Did you know that she is to
play Beatrice to my Dante?"

"Don't be silly," Anne said; "you mustn't listen to him, Dr. Brooks."

Richard's eyes went from one to the other. "What do you know of Fox?" he
asked, as they drove on.

"Nothing, except that he is writing a book."

"I'll ask Eve about him; she's a lion-hunter and she's in with a lot of
literary lights."

Even as he spoke Evelyn was speeding toward him in Philip's car. He had
forgotten her and his invitation for the week-end. But she had not
forgotten, and she sparkled and glowed as she thought of Richard's royal
welcome. For how could she know, as she drew near and nearer, that he was
welcoming another guest, taking off the little teacher's old brown coat,
noting the flush on her young cheeks, the pretty appeal of her manner to
his mother.

"You are sure I won't be in the way, Mrs. Brooks?"

"My dear, my dear, of course not. Richard has been telling me that your
grandmother was Cynthia Warfield. Did you know that my father was in love
with Cynthia before he married my mother?"

"The letters said so."

"I shall want to see them. And to hear about your Great-uncle Rodman. We
thought at one time that he was going to be famous, and then came that
dreadful accident."

They had her in a big chair now, with a high back which peaked over her
head and Nancy had another high-backed chair, and Richard standing on the
hearth-rug surveyed the two of them contentedly.

"Mother, I am going to give myself fifteen minutes right here and a half
hour for lunch, and then I'll go out and make calls