he American
girls!" said Imogen, continuing her own train of thought; "and how her
manners were so pretty, and did such credit to _us_, and would surprise
people over there! How very odd. I shall never get to understand the
Americans. They're so different from each other as well as from us.
There were some ladies from New York at Bideford the other day,--a Mrs.
Page and a Comtesse de Something-or-other, her daughter, and a Miss
Opdyke from New York. _She_ was very pretty and really quite nice,
though rather queer, but all three were as unlike each other as they
could be. Do you know them in America?"

"Not Miss Opdyke; but I have met Mrs. Page once in Europe a good while
since. It was before her daughter was married. She is a relative of my
sister-in-law, Mrs. Worthington."

"Do you mean the Mrs. Worthington whose husband is in the navy? Why,
that's Mrs. Geoffrey Templestowe's sister!"

"Do you know Clover Templestowe, then?" said the lady, surprised in her
turn. "That is really curious. Was it in England that you met?"

"Yes, and we are on our way to her neighborhood now. My brother has
bought a share in Geoff's business, and we are going to live near them
at High Valley."

"I do call this an extraordinary coincidence. Amy, come here and listen.
This young lady is on her way to Colorado, to live close to Aunt Clover;
what do you think of that for a surprise? I don't wonder that you open
your eyes so wide. Isn't it just like a story-book that she should have
come and sat down in the next chair to ours?"

"It's so funny that I can't believe it, till I take time to think," said
Amy, perching herself on the arm of her mother's seat. "Just think,
you'll see Elsie and her baby, and Aunt Clover's baby, and Uncle Geoff
and Phil, and all of them. It's the beautifulest place out there that
you ever saw. There are whole droves of horses, and you ride all the
while, and when you're not riding you can pick flowers and play with the
babies. Oh, I wish I were going with you; it would be such fun!"

"But aren't you coming?" said Imogen, much taken by the frankness of the
little American maid. "Coax mamma to fetch you out this summer, and
come and make me a visit. We're going to have a little cabin of our own,
and I'd be delighted to have you. Is it far from where you live?"

"Well, it's what you would call 'a goodish bit' in England," replied
Mrs. Ashe,--"two thousand miles or so, nearly three days' journey. Amy
would be char