g no shadow of regret to
mar the happiness of the girl he loved.

As for being his old easy, frank self on this last call, however, that
was impossible; so Alice found plenty of fuel for her still burning
fires of suspicion--fires which had, indeed, blazed up anew at this
second long period of absence on the part of Arkwright. Naturally,
therefore, the call was anything but a joy and comfort to either one.
Arkwright was nervous, gloomy, and abnormally gay by turns. Alice was
nervous and abnormally gay all the time. Then they said good-by and
Arkwright went away. He sailed the next day, and Alice settled down to
the summer of study and hard work she had laid out for herself.

On the tenth of September Billy came home. She was brown, plump-cheeked,
and smiling. She declared that she had had a perfectly beautiful time,
and that there couldn't be anything in the world nicer than the trip
she and Bertram had taken--just they two together. In answer to Aunt
Hannah's solicitous inquiries, she asserted that she was all well and
rested now. But there was a vaguely troubled questioning in her eyes
that Aunt Hannah did not quite like. Aunt Hannah, however, said nothing
even to Billy herself about this.

One of the first friends Billy saw after her return was Hugh Calderwell.
As it happened Bertram was out when he came, so Billy had the first
half-hour of the call to herself. She was not sorry for this, as it
gave her a chance to question Calderwell a little concerning Alice
Greggory--something she had long ago determined to do at the first
opportunity.

"Now tell me everything--everything about everybody," she began
diplomatically, settling herself comfortably for a good visit.

"Thank you, I'm well, and have had a passably agreeable summer,
barring the heat, sundry persistent mosquitoes, several grievous
disappointments, and a felon on my thumb," he began, with shameless
imperturbability. "I have been to Revere once, to the circus once,
to Nantasket three times, and to Keith's and the 'movies' ten times,
perhaps--to be accurate. I have also--But perhaps there was some one
else you desired to inquire for," he broke off, turning upon his hostess
a bland but unsmiling countenance.

"Oh, no, how could there be?" twinkled Billy. "Really, Hugh, I always
knew you had a pretty good opinion of yourself, but I didn't credit you
with thinking you were _everybody_. Go on. I'm so interested!"

Hugh chuckled softly; but there was a p