e Saturday afternoon, Ted must go, too;
if he had a new book, Ted must share it, and when he was not as well as
usual, or it was too stormy for him to be carried to the shack, nothing
would do but Ted Turner must be summoned to Pine Lea to brighten the
dreariness of the day. Soon the servants came to know the newcomer and
understand that he was a privileged person in the household. Laurie's
mother, a pretty Southern woman, welcomed him kindly and it was not
long before the two were united in a deep and affectionate conspiracy
which placed them on terms of the greatest intimacy.

"Laurie isn't quite so well this afternoon, Ted," Mrs. Fernald would
say. "Don't let him get too excited or talk too much." Or sometimes it
was, "Laurie had a bad night last night and is dreadfully discouraged
to-day. Do try and cheer him up."

Not infrequently Mr. Hazen would voice an appeal:

"I haven't been able to coax Laurie to touch his French lesson this
morning. Don't you want to see if you can't get him started on it?
He'll do anything for you."

And when Ted did succeed in getting the lesson learned, and not only
that but actually made an amusing game out of it, how grateful Mr.
Hazen was!

For with all his sweetness Laurie Fernald had a stubborn streak in his
nature which the volume of attention he had received had only served to
accentuate. He was not really spoiled but there were times when he
would do as he pleased, whether or no; and when such a mood came to the
surface, no one but Ted Turner seemed to have any power against it.
Therefore, when it occasionally chanced that Laurie refused to see the
doctor, or would not take his medicine, or insisted on getting up when
told to lie in bed, Ted was made an ally and urged to promote the thing
that made for the invalid's health and well-being.

After being admitted into the family circle on such confidential terms,
it followed that absolute equality was accorded Ted and he came and
went freely, both at Aldercliffe and Pine Lea. He read with Laurie,
lunched with him, followed his lessons; and listened to his plans, his
pleasures, and his disappointments. Perhaps, too, Laurie Fernald liked
and respected him the more that he had duties to perform and therefore
was not always free to come at his beck and call as did everybody else.

"I shan't be able to get round to see you to-day, old chap," Ted would
explain over the telephone. "There is a second crop of peas to plant in
the furt