on a bottle on the
floor in a corner. He recognized it at once, and pounced upon it.

"At last!" he exclaimed, and held it up to the light. "You've been in
the woods again this morning." He frowned at Sylvia, who laughed softly
and colored to the tips of her ears. "Aha! You look guilty enough for
anything. I thought your eyes had an extra sparkle this noon."

Edna caught her lip between her teeth, and stood still, regarding her
blushing guest.

A curious excitement took possession of Dunham. Had Sylvia left the
bottle purposely for him to find it? "It has gone down fast since
yesterday," he went on. "Remember, I saw it yesterday. Any one who
comes in on this will have to be prompt and firm." He looked accusingly
at the girl, who was the picture of embarrassment, as she stood there,
laughing with a conscious air.

"Very well," she exclaimed suddenly. "You shan't tease me any longer
about that. Here!" She seized a cup from the coffee table, and,
emptying into it the remaining contents of the bottle, she handed it to
Dunham.

He looked at her strangely.

"What is this? An elixir?"

"You say so," she replied saucily.

"Will it make me fluent, and sparkling, and gay?"

"You say so."

"Then I should let Edna have a share." He started to hand the cup to
his hostess.

"No, no," laughed Sylvia, putting out a protesting hand. "She doesn't
need it. It's not fit for Edna. Take it yourself, and--the
consequences."

Dunham looked over the rim of the cup at the merry, defiant face, and
drank. He then replaced the cup on the table, with sudden gravity and a
look of tardy apprehension in the direction of Edna.

"It's not sweet," he said.

"No," returned Sylvia, "except in its results."

Their young hostess stood there, rigid, her hand leaning on the back of
a chair. John could not meet the speaker's eyes.

"I have a new story upstairs," he said abruptly. "I'm going to get it
and see if I can't induce one of you to read aloud."

He disappeared, and Sylvia regarded the empty bottle with reminiscent
eyes.

"What did you expect to do with that stuff, Sylvia?" asked Edna.

"Something that will make a transformation in my life," replied the
other slowly. "I want to tell you about it when we have more time. I
know you have to go back now to your workmen,--but I'm very hopeful,
Edna, and, unless I deceive myself greatly, I shall be happy; and
you've been so wonderfully generous to a stranger, you'll be happy for
me, I