he process of really becoming
acquainted with him. Two hours later, as he was leaving her, Peter made
a circuit of the room, scrutinizing the sketches and paintings that were
rapidly covering the walls, and presently he came to the wasp. He looked
at it so closely that he did not miss even the stinger. Linda stood
beside him when he made his first dazed comment: "If that isn't Eileen,
and true to the life!"

"I must take that down," said Linda. "I did it one night when my heart
was full of bitterness."

"Better leave it," said Peter drily.

"Do you think I need it as a warning?" asked Linda.

Peter turned and surveyed her slowly.

"Linda," he said quietly, "what I think of you has not yet been written
in any of the books."

CHAPTER XXV. Buena Moza

As soon as Peter had left her Linda took her box of candy flowers and
several of her finest roses and went to Katy's room. She found Katy in a
big rocking chair, her feet on a hassock, reading a story in Everybody's
home. When her door opened and she saw her young mistress framed in it
she tossed the magazine aside and sprang to her feet, but Linda made her
resume her seat. The girl shortened the stems of the roses and put them
in a vase on Katy's dresser.

"They may clash with your coloring a mite, Mother Machree," she said,
"but by themselves they are very wonderful things, aren't they?"

Linda went over, and drawing her dress aside, sat down on the hassock
and leaning against Katy's knee she held up the box of candy flowers for
amazed and delighted inspection.

"Ah, the foine gintleman!" cried Katy. "Sure 'twas only a pape I had
when ye opened the box, an' I didn't know how rare them beauties railly
was."

"Choose the one you like best," said Linda.

But Katy would not touch the delicate things, so Linda selected a brushy
hollyhock for her and then sat at her knee again.

"Katherine O'Donovan," she said solemnly, "it's up to a couple of young
things such as we are, stranded on the shoals of the Pacific as we have
been, to put our heads together and take counsel. You're a host, Katy,
and while I am taking care of you, I'll be just delighted to have you go
on looking after your black sheep; but it's going to be lonely, for all
that. After Eileen has taken her personal possessions, what do you
say to fixing up that room with the belongings that Marian kept, and
inviting her to make that suite her home until such time as she may have
a home of her own agai