nt.

There was another reason in Miss Merriman's mind for making the trip a
leisurely one. She knew that the girl was as far from being ready to
step into the new existence, without material readjustment in her
manners, as she was already mentally removed from the old. To be sure,
she possessed a natural grace of manner which could not but charm any
one who met her; but she was almost as free from external conventions as
one of her own wild birds, except for the few which she had
unconsciously acquired by her association with the older woman, and with
Donald; and, in her love for, and pride in, her protege, Miss Merriman
wanted Rose to be able to fit, without embarrassment, into whatever
company she might find herself.

Hers was a comparatively easy task, for Smiles took to "manners" as
readily as a chameleon adapts its exterior to suit the color of its
surroundings. In the woods she had learned to mimic the note of the
birds or the chattering of the squirrels; in the hotel dining-room she
copied the behavior of her companion just as faithfully, and if, on
occasion, she found herself perplexed as to the proper use of some
strange implement of eating, she frankly, and without a thought of
embarrassment, sought information on the subject. People regarded her
with open amusement, sometimes; but more often their gaze spelt
admiration, and Rose was happily unconscious of both kinds of glances.

Furthermore, in obedience to instructions from Donald, contained in a
special delivery letter which reached her just before they started
North, and in which he purported to be speaking and acting as the
child's guardian _ipso facto_, Miss Merriman fitted her charge out with
a simple, but complete, wardrobe, to Smiles' never-failing surprise and
delight that so many pretty things should be all her own.

When the two were ready to leave the metropolis--whose size, splendor
and feverish bustle left Smiles mentally gasping--the nurse sent a
telegram to Donald, and one raw February evening found him impatiently
pacing the South Terminal Station, awaiting the arrival of the train
from New York.

Six months before, the prospect of some day being Smiles' guardian had
seemed vaguely pleasant. Now it was an immediate fact, and the
responsibilities engendered, the possible difficulties attendant on it,
lay heavily upon his mind. He, too, thanked Heaven for Miss Merriman.

The train gates were opened at last, and Donald hastened down the lo