egun to
close the gate, but Mrs. Chester lingered in it.

"That fine large house and garden across the way," she said, "are they
a Creole type?"

"Yes, bez' kind--for in the city. They got very few like that in the
_vieux carre_, but up yonder in that beautiful garden diztric' of the
_nouveau quartier_ are many, where we'll perchanze go to live some day
pritty soon. That old 'ouse we're inhabiting here, tha'z--like us, ha,
ha!--a pritty antique. Tha'z mo' suit' for a _relique_ than to live
in, especially for Tantine--ha, ha!--tha'z auntie, yet tha'z what we
call our niece. Aline--juz' in _plaisanterie_!--biccause she take' so
much mo' care of us than us of her."

Mrs. Chester had stopped to look around her. "Whenever you move," she
said, "you'll have to leave this delightful little garden behind; it
won't fit out of these quaint surroundings."

"Ah! We won't want that any mo'!"

They pressed on. "That 'ouse acrozz street," said Mme. De l'Isle, "I
notiz there the usual sign."

"Ah, yes, yes! 'For Sale or Rent'; tha'z what always predominate' in
that poor _vieux carre_. But here is my sizter. Corinne, Mrs.
Chezter, the mother of Mr. Chezter--as you see by the _image_ of him in
the face! I can have the boldnezz to say that, madame, biccause never
in my life I di'n' see a young man so 'andsome like yo' son!"

The mother blushed--a lifelong failing. "At home," she said, "he's
called his father's double."

"Is that possible? But tha'z the way with people. Some people they
find Aline the _image_ of Corinne, and some of me. Yet Corinne and
me--look!"

The four went in--to the usual entertainment: the solid plank walls,
the fine absence of lath and plaster, Aline's "li'l' robe of baptism,"
and the bridegroom and bride who had gone a lifetime without a change
of linen. They passed out into the rear garden and told wonderful
stories of those gifted little darlings the goldfish. Hector,
unfortunately absent, had a mouth-organ, to whose strains the fishes
would listen so motionless that you could see they were spellbound.
Yvonne ran back into the house to get it, but for some cause returned
with nerves so shaken that the fishes would do nothing but run wildly
to and fro. Still, that was just as startling proof of their amazing
whatever-it-was!

Seats were not taken in the bower. The declining sun filled it. Mrs.
Chester moved fondly from one flower-bed to another, and while the
sisters eagerly fille