."

Phyllis straightway arranged to have two broilers ready for her when she
called for them next day, and skilfully changed the subject.

"Oh, Aunt Sally! do show Leslie those begonias you've been raising all
summer. I do think they are the most beautiful things! You certainly are
very successful at making things grow!"

Highly flattered, Aunt Sally rose to lead the girls indoors to the sunny
room where she kept her plants. While they were admiring them, she asked
them to sit down and rest a while and talk--an invitation they accepted
with great alacrity. At length, after a detailed account of the health
and affairs of her entire family, Phyllis craftily led the conversation
back to Aunt Sally herself.

"And are you alone now, Aunt Sally, or is your sister still with you? I
heard she was going back to Ohio."

"Yes, she's gone and I'm alone," sighed Aunt Sally; "at least,--I'm not
quite alone. I have a boarder at present."

"Oh, _have_ you!" exclaimed Phyllis, guilefully, as if it were all news
to her. "Why, that's very nice. I hope the boarder will stay a long
while. It will be some company for you."

"Well, I dunno how long she'll stay, and she ain't much company for _me_,
I must confess!" admitted Aunt Sally, with a somewhat worried air. "The
truth is, I can't exactly make her out."

This was precisely the line that Phyllis wished her to take, yet even now
caution must be observed or Aunt Sally might shy away from it.

"Oh, it's a lady then!" remarked the artful Phyllis.

"Well, no, it ain't exactly a lady--it's a young girl 'bout the age of
you two, I should guess."

"Still, I don't see why she shouldn't be company for you, even so,"
argued Phyllis, quite as if she were still completely in the dark as to
this new boarder.

"The reason she ain't much company," went on Aunt Sally, "is
because--well, I don't know as I ought to say it, but I guess she thinks
she's too sort of--high-toned to 'sociate with the person who keeps her
boarding-house!" Aunt Sally laughed, an amused, throaty little chuckle at
this, and then the worried frown came back.

"Why, she must be rather horrid, I think," commented Phyllis, with more
heartfelt reason than Aunt Sally could guess!

"No, I don't think she means to be horrid--she's just been brought up
that way, I guess. I wish she could be more friendly. I sort of feel a
responsibility about her. You see, she's here all alone. She was staying
at the hotel with her grandfath