the centre table to the
cakes near the teapot, the doctor's collie lay panting in the doorway.
Barbara's rich soft laugh, the new tones that her voice had gained in
the past years, somehow dominated everything. Julia felt a vague new
restlessness and discontent assail her at this contact with Barbara's
full and happy life. Perhaps Barbara suspected it, for her generous
inclusion of Julia, when plans of any sort were afoot, knew no limit.
She won Anna's little heart with a thousand affectionate advances; loved
to have the glowing beauty of the little girl as a foil for her own
dark-haired boys.

"You're so busy--and necessary--and unself-conscious, Barbara," Julia
said, "you make other women seem such fools!"

It was a heavenly July afternoon, and the two were following Richie and
the children down one of the mountain roads above Mill Valley. Barbara,
who had acquired an Englishwoman's love of nursery picnics, had lured
her husband to join them to-day, and Julia had been pleasantly surprised
to see how fatherly the Captain was with his small boys, how willing to
go for water and tie dragging little shoe laces. But presently the
soldier grew restless, stared about him for a few moments, and finally
decided to leave the ladies and children to Richie's escort, and walk to
the summit of the mountain and back, as a means of working off some
excess of energy and gaining an appetite for dinner. He apparently did
not hear Barbara's warning not to be late, and her entreaty to be
careful, merely giving her a stolid glance in answer to these eager
suggestions, and remarking to the boys, who begged to accompany him a
little way: "Naow, naow, I tell you you carn't, so don't make little
arsses of yourselves blabbering abaout it!"

This, however, was taken in good part by his family; there was much
waving of hands and many shouted good wishes as he walked rapidly out of
hearing.

"Poor Francis, I hope he's going to enjoy his walk," Barbara said, as
they started homeward. "He gets so bored out here in California!"

"I wonder why?" Julia said, hiding a Californian's resentment.

"Oh, well, it _is_ different, Ju--you can't deny it! One wants to be
loyal, and all that," Barbara said, "but in England there's a
_purpose_--there's a recognized order to life! They're not eternally
experimenting; they don't want to be idle and ignorant like our
women--they've got better things to do. There's a finish and a
pleasantness about life in Lond