derness, which
caused her to look fairly luminous.

"It has been a lovely day, hasn't it?" she said.

"Very pleasant," said Maria.

"Did you know I went sleigh-riding this afternoon?"

"Did you?"

"Yes; George took me out."

"That was nice," said Maria.

"We went to Wayland. The sleighing is lovely."

"I thought it looked so," said Maria.

"It is. Say, Maria!"

"Well?"

"He said things to me this afternoon that sounded as if he did mean
them. He did, really."

"Did he?"

"Do you want me to tell you?" asked Lily, eying Maria happily and yet
a little timidly.

Maria straightened herself. "If you want to know what I really think,
Lily," she said, "I think no girl should repeat anything a man says
to her, if she does think he really means it. I think it is between
the two. I think it should be held sacred. I think the girl cheapens
it by repeating it, and I don't think it is fair to the man. I don't
care to hear what Mr. Ramsey said, if you want the truth, Lily."

Lily looked abashed. "I dare say you are right, Maria," she said,
meekly. "I won't repeat anything he said if you don't think I ought,
and don't want to hear it."

"Is your new dress done?" asked Maria, abruptly.

"It is going to be finished this week," said Lily. "Do you think I am
horrid, proposing to tell you what he said, Maria?"

"No, only I don't care to hear any more about it."

"Well, I hope you don't think I am horrid."

"I don't, dear," said Maria, with an odd sensation of tenderness for
the other, weaker girl, whom she had handled in a measure roughly
with her own stronger character. She looked admiringly at her as she
spoke. "Nobody can ever really think you horrid," she said.

"If they did, I should think I was horrid my own self," said Lily,
with the ready acquiescence in the opinion of another which signified
the deepest admiration, even to her own detriment, and was the
redeeming note in her character.

Maria laughed. "I declare, Lily," said she, "I hope you will never be
accused of a crime, for I do believe even if you were innocent, you
would side with the lawyer for the prosecution."

"I don't know but I should," said Lily.

Then she ventured to say something more about George Ramsey,
encouraged by Maria's friendliness, but she met with such scanty
sympathy that she refrained. She arose soon, and said she thought she
must go home.

"I am tired to-night, and I think I had better go to bed early," she
said.

"