he small gold pin she wore. The man smiled
and touched one of similar pattern which was fastening his tie. In a
minute more his street was reached, and as he passed Jewel on his way
out of the car, he stooped and gave her ready hand a little pressure.

She colored with pleasure, and Mrs. Forbes swelled with curiosity and
disapproval. She knew the man by sight as a highly respectable citizen.
What was this wild Western child doing now? The car made too much noise
to permit of investigation, so she waited until they had left it and
entered the park gates.

"Julia," she said then, "where did you ever see that gentleman before?"

"I never did," replied the child.

"What do you mean by such bold actions, then? What will he think of
you?"

"He'll think it's all right," returned Jewel. "We have the same--the
same friends."

The housekeeper looked at her. It was beneath her dignity to ask further
questions at present, but some time she meant to renew the subject.

"It's very wrong for a little girl to take any notice of strangers," she
said.

"Yes'm," replied Jewel, "but he was--different."

Mrs. Forbes maintained silence henceforth until they reached home. "You
may hang your hat and jacket in the closet under the stairs whenever
you don't wish to go to your room," she said when she parted with her
companion at the piazza, "but don't wander away anywhere before lunch."

"No'm. Thank you for taking me, Mrs. Forbes."

"You're welcome," returned that lady, and the long black veil swept
majestically toward the barn.

Sweet and rippling music was proceeding from the house. Jewel tiptoed
across the piazza to a long window, from whence she could see the
interior of the drawing-room.

"It is the enchanted maiden," she said to herself, and sank down softly
by the window, listening eagerly to the melodious strains and smooth
runs which flowed from beneath the slender fingers. One piece followed
another in quick succession, now gay, now grave, and the listener
scarcely stirred in her enjoyment.

At last, suddenly, in the midst of a Grieg melody, the player ceased,
and crossing her arms upon the empty music rack, bowed her head upon
them in such an attitude of abandon that Jewel's heart leaped in
sympathy.

"Oh cousin Eloise! What makes her so sorry?" she thought. The child's
intuition had been strong to perceive the nature of her aunt Madge. "It
must be such an awful thing to have your own mother an error fairy. That
m