aid her husband
yawning. "I remember she used to have a taste for the pathetic."

"And then," remarked Flavia coquettishly, "after all, I owe her mother a
return in kind. She was not afraid to trifle with destiny."

But Hamilton was asleep in his chair.

Next morning Imogen found only Miss Broadwood in the breakfast room.

"Good morning, my dear girl, whatever are you doing up so early? They
never breakfast before eleven. Most of them take their coffee in their
room. Take this place by me."

Miss Broadwood looked particularly fresh and encouraging in her blue
serge walking skirt, her open jacket displaying an expanse of stiff,
white shirt bosom, dotted with some almost imperceptible figure, and
a dark blue-and-white necktie, neatly knotted under her wide, rolling
collar. She wore a white rosebud in the lapel of her coat, and decidedly
she seemed more than ever like a nice, clean boy on his holiday. Imogen
was just hoping that they would breakfast alone when Miss Broadwood
exclaimed, "Ah, there comes Arthur with the children. That's the reward
of early rising in this house; you never get to see the youngsters at
any other time."

Hamilton entered, followed by two dark, handsome little boys. The girl,
who was very tiny, blonde like her mother, and exceedingly frail, he
carried in his arms. The boys came up and said good morning with an ease
and cheerfulness uncommon, even in well-bred children, but the little
girl hid her face on her father's shoulder.

"She's a shy little lady," he explained as he put her gently down in her
chair. "I'm afraid she's like her father; she can't seem to get used to
meeting people. And you, Miss Willard, did you dream of the White Rabbit
or the Little Mermaid?"

"Oh, I dreamed of them all! All the personages of that buried
civilization," cried Imogen, delighted that his estranged manner of the
night before had entirely vanished and feeling that, somehow, the old
confidential relations had been restored during the night.

"Come, William," said Miss Broadwood, turning to the younger of the two
boys, "and what did you dream about?"

"We dreamed," said William gravely--he was the more assertive of the two
and always spoke for both--"we dreamed that there were fireworks hidden
in the basement of the carriage house; lots and lots of fireworks."

His elder brother looked up at him with apprehensive astonishment, while
Miss Broadwood hastily put her napkin to her lips and Hamilton dropp