r, and rolling her eyes toward the sky.

Ralph began to laugh.

"I would'nt say it if it was'nt true," Verty said; "but it is."

"What story did she tell you, sir?" Fanny went on.

"She said that Redbud was in love with him--Ralph Ashley."

And Verty smiled.

Fanny burst into a roar of laughter; Redbud blushed; Ralph looked with
astonishment at the plain-spoken Verty.

"You know that was a story," said he, simply.

Everybody remained silent for a moment, and then the silence was
broken by Ralph, who cried, laughing:

"I'll back you, friend Verty! every word of it!"

"You, sir!" cried Fanny.

"Yes! I wonder if your divine creature--Sallianna by name--did not
tell me, ten minutes since, that you--yes, you, Miss Fanny!--were
desperately enamored of Mr. Verty!"

The whole party were so overcome by this ludicrous expose of Miss
Sallianna's schemes, that a laugh much louder than the first rang
through the garden; and when Miss Sallianna was descried sailing in
dignified meditation up and down the portico, her fan gently waving,
her head inclined to one side, her eyes fixed upon the sky, Mr. Ralph
Ashley entered into a neighboring mass of shrubbery, from which came
numerous choking sounds, and explosive evidences of overwhelming
laughter.

Thus was it that our honest Verty at once cleared up all
misunderstanding--and made the horizon cloudless once again. If
everybody would only speak as plainly, when misconceptions and
mistakes arise, the world would have far more of sunshine in it!

"Just to think!" cried Fanny, "how that odious old tatterdemalion has
been going on! Did anybody ever?"

"Anan?" said Verty.

"Sir?" said Fanny.

"What's a tatterdemalion?" asked the young man, smilingly.

"I don't exactly know, sir," said Fanny; "but I suppose it's a
conceited old maid; who talks about the beauties of nature, and tries
to make people, who are friends, hate each other."

With which definition Miss Fanny clenched her handsome little hand,
and made a gesture therewith, in the direction of Miss Sallianna,
indicative of hostility, and a desire to engage in instant combat.

Ralph laughed, and said:

"You meant to say, my dear child, that the lady in question tried to
make a quarrel between people who _loved_ each other--not simply 'were
friends'. For you know she tried to make us dislike one another."

Fanny received this insinuating speech with one of heir expressive
"hums!"

"Don't you?" said Ralph.