ed it firmly against her hot
forehead.

"Lie down, little Kern."

She lay down obediently, her face wearing a strange half-smile. Though
her eyes were wide, her look was that of a person between sleeping and
waking: she showed no surprise at Mr. V.V.'s being there by her bedside.

"Mr. V.V., I had on a white sating Persian dress, lowneg, and embroidery
and loops of pearls put on all over it, and white sating pumps, and a
fan all awstritch feathers. I was at a German--y' know?--"

"You mustn't talk now, Kern. Put your arm under the cover and go back to
sleep--"

"_Lemme_, Mr. V.V.! Please. It's on'y a minute to tell. Can't I, sir?...
I was at a German, with ladies and gempmen, and there was pink
lights--and vi'lins--and plants--and little presents they give you for
dancin'--and flowers--and such lovely clo'es!... On'y I didn't have a
partner. Like a stag, y' know? And then pretty soon I saw people looking
at me, and kep' on looking, and one of 'em that looked somep'n like Miss
Masters, on'y it wasn't her, says, 'Wot's that girl a-doin' here?' she
says. 'Why, she's a buncher down to Heth's.' So I walked on off and set
down at my Writin'-Desk, and made out I didn't notice and was writin'
notes or somep'n, like. And then I looks up and they was all coming over
to me, like sayin' move on now, and then I looks off again and there was
you and Miss Heth, settin'...."

Her listener was by no means surprised at the introduction of this name.
Many times had Kern spoken of her meeting with Miss Heth, that Sunday
she took the note, though Mr. V.V. did not know that from that day dated
her preference for white dresses, as compared with red....

"Settin' on a velvet settee you was," whispered Kern, her hand picking
at the sheet, "by a founting, a boy with wings and a pink lamp on his
head, pourin' water out of a gool' pitcher. And I went runnin' over to
you to ast you must I go--or somep'n. And then up comes all the ladies
and gempmen and says, 'This girl don't belong here,' they says, 'she
must go at once.' And Miss Heth she gets up and says, 'Not at all, this
here girl is a friend of me and Doctor's.' And I says, 'No, ma'am, it's
right what they say, I don't belong here.' But she says to them to leave
me be. 'And do you, Co-rinne,' she says--just that away, like you used
to say--'do you, Corinne, come and set on this velvet settee with me and
Doctor, and listen to this here founting play.' And I felt sad someways
and I says,