nch with the one deep red trillium was to
go to Roberta.

Ted turned to wave both white clusters at his friend as the car went on,
then he proceeded straight to his sister's room. Finding her absent, he
laid one great white-and-green mass in a heap upon her bed and went his
way with the other to Mrs. Stephen's room. Here he found both Roberta
and Rosamond playing with little Gordon and Dorothy, whom their nurse
had just brought in from an airing.

"Here's some trilliums for you, Rosy," announced Ted. "Mr. Kendrick sent
'em to you. I left yours on your bed, Rob. I picked yours; at least I
think I did. He was awfully particular that his went to Rosy, but we got
sort of mixed up about which picked which, so I can't be sure. I don't
see any use of making such a fuss about a lot of trilliums, anyhow."

Roberta and Rosamond looked at each other. "I think you are decidedly
mixed, Ted," said Rosamond. "It was Rob Mr. Kendrick meant to send his
to."

Ted shook his head positively. "No, it wasn't. He said something about
you that I told him I was going to tell Steve, only--I don't know as I
can remember it. Something about his admiring you a whole lot."

"Delightful! And he didn't say anything about Rob?"

"Not very much. Said she was afraid of something. I said she wasn't
afraid of anything, and he said she was--of one thing. I tried to make
him say what it was, because I knew he was all off about that, but he
wouldn't tell."

"Evidently you and Mr. Kendrick talked a good deal of nonsense," was
Roberta's comment, on her way from the room.

She found the mass of green and white upon her bed and stood
contemplating it for a moment. The one deep red trillium glowed richly
against its snowy brethren, and she picked it out and examined it
thoughtfully, as if she expected it to tell her whereof Richard Kendrick
thought she was afraid. But as it vouchsafed no information she gathered
up the whole mass and disposed it in a big crystal bowl which she set
upon a small table by an open window.

"If I thought that really was the bunch he picked," said she to herself,
"I should consider he had broken his promise and I should feel obliged
to throw it away. Perhaps I'd better do it anyhow. Yet--it seems a pity
to throw away such a beautiful bowlful of white and green, and--very
likely they were of Ted's picking after all. But I don't like that one
red one against all the white."

She laid fingers upon it to draw it out. But she did