ost matter-of-fact
tone, whether we went down the rapids in toboggans. I can assure you it
required a strong effort of will on my part to refrain from laughing
outright."

"What did you tell her?" inquired Elsie.

"Oh! I said if she had ever seen either a rapid or a toboggan; she would
hardly think of associating the two."

"Some day I wish you and Lady Margaret would make an excursion to Canada,
and take me with you. It would be so exciting----"

"Come, Elsie," interrupted her mother, "come, we must go. Mademoiselle
Laurentia will be lonely."

The ladies rose to go, Elsie saying in an undertone to The McAllister:

"Now, don't spend an hour over those stupid politics. I want you to hear
mademoiselle sing."

"Politics!" he replied, with a disdainful shrug of his shoulders. "I take
no interest whatever in them. Do not fear, Miss Elsie."

"I should like to know what you do take an interest in," remarked the
young lady mischievously, as she hurried out of the room.

On entering the drawing-room they failed to find Mademoiselle Laurentia,
so Lady Severn proposed that they should go into the garden.

"Elsie, run up to my room and fetch some shawls; the evening is quite
chilly."

It was a lovely night in the end of April; the moon was full, and
glimmering with sheeny whiteness over the distant hills. The garden at
Mount Severn was an old-fashioned one, laid out in the early Elizabethan
style in stately terraces and winding paths.

On each terrace were planted beds of luxuriant scarlet geraniums and
early spring flowers. Every once in a while one came across a huge copper
beech, and gloomy close-clipped hedges of yew divided the garden proper
from the adjacent park.

Somewhere in the distance could be heard the trickling of a tiny rivulet,
which supplied the fountain in the middle of the garden. There were many
roughly-hewn, picturesque-looking rustic chairs scattered about, and near
one of these Lady Margaret paused.

"May we sit here?" she said, turning to her hostess. "I really think this
is the most delightful garden I ever saw in my life. They talk about
Devonshire; I never saw anything half so lovely there."

"Yes, certainly it is pretty," assented its proprietress. "But where is
Mademoiselle Laurentia?"

"In her favorite nook beside the old copper beech. See, you can catch a
glimpse of her if you look round that tree."

Yes, there was Mademoiselle Laurentia, and a very insignificant little
person sh