lded a daring scheme to the other
grandmother, who stared at her aghast a second out of her lovely blue
eyes, then laughed softly.

"Very well," said she, "if you dare."

"I rather think I dare!" said Grandmother Stark. "Isn't Diantha Wheeler
my own daughter?" Grandmother Stark had grown much bolder since Mrs.
Diantha had been ill.

Meantime Lily and Amelia walked down the street until they came to a
certain vacant lot intersected by a foot-path between tall, feathery
grasses and goldenrod and asters and milkweed. They entered the
foot-path, and swarms of little butterflies rose around them, and once
in a while a protesting bumblebee.

"I am afraid we will be stung by the bees," said Amelia.

"Bumblebees never sting," said Lily; and Amelia believed her.

When the foot-path ended, there was the riverbank. The two little girls
sat down under a clump of brook willows and talked, while the river,
full of green and blue and golden lights, slipped past them and never
stopped.

Then Lily proceeded to unfold a plan, which was not philosophical,
but naughtily ingenious. By this time Lily knew very well that Amelia
admired her, and imitated her as successfully as possible, considering
the drawback of dress and looks.

When she had finished Amelia was quite pale. "I am afraid, I am afraid,
Lily," said she.

"What of?"

"My mother will find out; besides, I am afraid it isn't right."

"Who ever told you it was wrong?"

"Nobody ever did," admitted Amelia.

"Well, then you haven't any reason to think it is," said Lily,
triumphantly. "And how is your mother ever going to find it out?"

"I don't know."

"Isn't she ill in her room? And does she ever come to kiss you good
night, the way my mother does, when she is well?"

"No," admitted Amelia.

"And neither of your grandmothers?"

"Grandmother Stark would think it was silly, like mother, and
Grandmother Wheeler can't go up and down stairs very well."

"I can't see but you are perfectly safe. I am the only one that runs any
risk at all. I run a great deal of risk, but I am willing to take it,"
said Lily with a virtuous air. Lily had a small but rather involved
scheme simply for her own ends, which did not seem to call for much
virtue, but rather the contrary.

Lily had overheard Arnold Carruth and Johnny Trumbull and Lee
Westminster and another boy, Jim Patterson, planning a most delightful
affair, which even in the cases of the boys was fraught with danger,
se