down the street, busily tying his shoe, _HE_
was waiting."

"Well, I hope you had the manners to leave at once?"--Eleanor laughed.
"Or did you wait and make her miserable!"

Rosamond winked one eye mischievously.

"I behaved with perfect decorum," she replied. "I said I really must
run for my bus as the conductor was a cousin of my sister-in-law's aunt
and he let me ride for nothing. I said it loud too, so that He could
hear, and Muriel was wild."

"Oh, Rosey, how could you, you wretch; poor Muriel!" Phyllis tried not
to laugh, but gave up and joined the rest.

Rosamond turned them down one of the side streets abruptly.

"Where are you going?" Eleanor demanded. "I want to go home; I'm
hungry."

"Now don't be absurd," Rosamond admonished. "You can eat any old time,
but it isn't often that you can see what I am going to show you."

"Oh, now what are you up to?" Eleanor protested, but Rosamond only
pointed to the corner of the next avenue and told them to watch.

"Aunt Jane's poll parrot, Muriel!" Sally was the first to see that the
girl and boy approaching them was their classmate and her friend. They
would soon meet.

"I'll giggle, I know I will," Eleanor warned them. "Rosey, it's all
your fault. Let's turn around."

"Never," Rosamond protested. "Just walk like little ladies and bow
politely when they pass," she said with a ridiculous primness that was
exactly like the art teacher at school.

They walked; there was nothing else to do; and Muriel and the boy
beside her came toward them, deep in conversation. It was noticeable
that Muriel was doing most of the talking.

When they were even with them, Rosamond bowed formally and in a high
and very affected voice she exclaimed,

"Why, Muriel, how _do_ you do?"'

Sally called a careless hello, and Eleanor, too full of laughter to
dare speech, only nodded. It was Phyllis that gave a little gasp of
astonishment that was repeated in turn by the boy. He recovered
himself and pulled off his cap in response to her quick smile.

They were hardly out of earshot before the girls turned to her.

"Phyllis Page, you've known him all the time, you wretch," Rosamond
accused.

"I have not," Phyllis denied. "I was never so surprised in my life."

"What's his name?" Sally demanded, but Phyllis shook her head.

"I don't know," she protested, "honestly I don't. I have only seen him
once before and then I wasn't really introduced, his first name, or
rath