table, and wished she could be with them. She could not help
hearing all they said, for they were only a few feet away, and there was
no one talking at the table where she sat. The boys were in the children's
dining-room with Fanchette, and her mother was spending the evening with
some friends at the new hotel across the way.

"I'm going to make believe that I'm one of them," the lonely child said to
herself, smiling as she caught a friendly nod from Betty. So she listened
eagerly to Mr. Forbes's account of their visit to Venice, and to the
volcano of Vesuvius, and laughed with the others over the amusing
experiences Betty and Eugenia had in Norway with a chambermaid who could
not understand them, and in Holland with an old Dutch market-woman, the
day they became separated from Mr. Forbes, and were lost for several
hours.

Fidelia's salad almost choked her, there was such an ache in her throat
when she heard them planning an excursion for the next day. She had no one
to make plans with, and when she was taken sightseeing it was by a French
teacher, more intent on improving her pupil's accent than in giving her a
happy time.

As they were finishing their dessert, Mr. Sherman suddenly remembered that
he had a letter in his pocket for Lloyd, which he had forgotten to give
her.

"It is from Joyce," she said, looking at the post-mark. "Oh, if she were
only heah, what a lovely time we could have! It would be like havin'
anothah house pahty. May I read it now at the table, mothah? It is to all
of us."

Fidelia almost held her breath. She was so afraid that Mrs. Sherman would
suggest waiting until they went to the parlour. There she could no longer
be one of them, no matter how hard she might pretend. She wanted the
interesting play to go on as long as possible. She did not know that she
ought not to listen. There were many things she had never been taught.
Lloyd began to read aloud.

"DEAR GIRLS:--You will be in Tours by the time this letter
reaches you, and I am simply wild to be there with you. Oh, if I
could be there only one day to take you to all the old places!
Do please go to the home of the 'Little Sisters of the Poor,'
and ask for Sister Denisa. Give her my love, and tell her that I
often think of her. And do go to that funny pie shop on the Rue
Nationale, where everybody is allowed to walk around and help
themselves and keep their own count. And eat one of those tiny
delic