d close; we can spring up again from the roots; or we can
patiently wait until we blossom again the next summer.

"It was about a year after I was married that I began to think about
such things. We were spending a fortnight at the country house of one of
my old friends, Mrs. Cheston; and although Bernard, my husband, was away
most of the time, fishing with Mr. Cheston, we were enjoying ourselves
very much. There was a village not far away where there were some very
nice people, so that we had a good deal of pleasant social life, and it
was not long before I became quite well acquainted with some of the
village families.

"One day Mrs. Cheston gave me a luncheon, to which she invited a good
many of the village ladies; and, after they were all gone, we two sat on
the piazza and talked about them. Two or three of our guests I had not
met before, and in the course of our talk Emily mentioned the name of
Margaret Temple.

"'Temple?' said I. 'Which one was that? I do not recall her.'

"'You were talking to her some time,' she replied. 'I think she was
telling you about the mountains.'

"'Oh, yes,' said I; 'she was pointing out those passes through which
people go into the next county. She sat at the other end of the table,
didn't she? She was dressed in black.'

"'Oh, no,' said Emily, 'she was not dressed in black. She never wears
black. I think she wore a brown dress with some sort of light trimming.'

"'Oh, well,' said I, 'I did not notice her dress, and when I do not
notice people's clothes I nearly always think they dress in black. Is
she nice?'

"'She is very nice indeed,' said Emily; 'everybody thinks that.'

"'I wish I had seen more of her,' said I.

"Emily did not answer this remark, but a smile came on her face which
presently grew into a little laugh. I looked at her in surprise.

"'What is there funny about Miss Temple?' I asked.

"'Really there is nothing funny about her,' she replied, 'but I often
laugh to myself when I think of her.'

"I suddenly became very much interested in Miss Temple. 'Tell me why you
do that,' I said. 'I always like to know why people laugh at other
people.'

"Emily now became very sober. 'You must not think,' she said, 'that
there is anything ridiculous about Margaret Temple. There is not a finer
woman to be found anywhere, and I do not believe there is anybody who
laughs at her except myself. You know I am very apt to see the funny
side of things.'

"'And so am I!' I