know the Lady, you see. Was it a good letter?"

"You know her brother."

"Very true." Alice's cheeks showed a deeper color. "Did she say anything
of him?"

"Yes. She said he was coming back to Boston next winter."

"Indeed!"

"Yes. She says that this time he declares he really _is_ going to settle
down to work," murmured Billy, demurely, with a sidelong glance at her
companion. "She says he's engaged to be married--one of her friends over
there."

There was no reply. Alice appeared to be absorbed in watching a tiny
white sail far out at sea.

Again Billy was silent. Then, with studied carelessness, she said:

"Yes, and you know Mr. Arkwright, too. She told of him."

"Yes? Well, what of him?" Alice's voice was studiedly indifferent.

"Oh, there was quite a lot of him. Belle had just been to hear him
sing, and then her brother had introduced him to her. She thinks he's
perfectly wonderful, in every way, I should judge. In fact, she simply
raved over him. It seems that while we've been hearing nothing from him
all winter, he's been winning no end of laurels for himself in Paris and
Berlin. He's been studying, too, of course, as well as singing; and
now he's got a chance to sing somewhere--create a role, or
something--Belle said she wasn't quite clear on the matter herself, but
it was a perfectly splendid chance, and one that was a fine feather in
his cap."

"Then he won't be coming home--that is, to Boston--at all this winter,
probably," said Alice, with a cheerfulness that sounded just a little
forced.

"Not until February. But he is coming then. He's been engaged for six
performances with the Boston Opera Company--as a star tenor, mind you!
Isn't that splendid?"

"Indeed it is," murmured Alice.

"Belle writes that Hugh says he's improved wonderfully, and that even he
can see that his singing is marvelous. He says Paris is wild over him;
but--for my part, I wish he'd come home and stay here where he belongs,"
finished Billy, a bit petulantly.

"Why, why, Billy!" murmured her friend, a curiously startled look coming
into her eyes.

"Well, I do," maintained Billy; then, recklessly, she added: "I had such
beautiful plans for him, once, Alice. Oh, if you only could have cared
for him, you'd have made such a splendid couple!"

A vivid scarlet flew to Alice's face.

"Nonsense!" she cried, getting quickly to her feet and bending over
one of the flower boxes along the veranda railing. "Mr. Arkwright
neve