I suppose, Mr. Verty, I
am too small to be seen. Pray, acknowledge the fact of my existence,
sir."

"_Anan_?" said Verty, smiling.

Fanny stamped her pretty foot, and burst out laughing.

"It's easy to see what is the matter with you!" she laughed.

"Why, there's nothing," said Verty.

"Yes, there is."

"What?"

"You're in love."

Verty laughed and blushed.

"There!" cried Fanny, "I knew it."

"I believe I am."

"Listen to him, Redbud!"

"She knows it," said Verty.

"Hum! I don't see how anybody can help knowing it."

"Why?"

"Because it is plain."

"Ah!"

"Yes, sir; this very moment you showed it."

"Yes--I believe I did."

"Odious old thing!"

"Who?"

"Why, Miss Sallianna, sir--I don't care if you _are_ paying your
addresses! I say she's an odious old thing!--to be giving herself
airs, and setting her cap at all our beaux!"

Verty stared, and then laughed.

"Miss Sallianna!" he cried.

"Yes, sir!"

"I'm in love with her!"

"You've just acknowledged it."

"Acknowledged it!"

"There! you're going to deny your own words, like the rest of your
fine sex--the men."

"No--I did'nt say I was in love with Miss Sallianna."

"Did'nt he, Redbud?" asked Fanny, appealing to her friend.

"No," said Verty, before she could reply; "I said I was in love with
Redbud!"

And the ingenuous face of the young man was covered with blushes.

Fanny fairly shook with laughter.

"Oh," she screamed, "and you think I am going to believe that--when
you spend the first half an hour of your visit with Miss
Sallianna--talking, I suppose, about the 'beauties of nature!'"

And the young girl clapped her hands.

"I wanted"--commenced Verty--

"Oh, don't tell me what you wanted!" cried Fanny; "you saw in the
garden here two nice young girls, if I do say it--"

"You may--!"

"I am not to be led off in that way, sir! I say you saw two agreeable
young ladies here evidently not indisposed to talk with visitors, as
it's a holiday--and in spite of that, you pass your time in the house
with that old Sallianna, cooing and wooing and brewing," added Miss
Fanny, inventing a new meaning for an old word on the spur of the
moment, "and after that you expect us to believe you when you say you
are not in love with her--though what you see to like in that old
thing it would take a thousand million sybils, to say nothing of
oracles and Pythonesses, to explain!"

With which exhausting display of erudition, Miss Fan