ist_, after a moment, in which he and the young man both glance
at the lady, and she makes a sound in her throat to show that she is not
thinking of them, and had not spoken in reference to what they were
saying: "The only azaleas I haf are these pink ones, and those whidte
ones."

_The Young Man:_ "And they are too pink and too white. Isn't there
anything tall, and very delicate? Something, well--something like the
old-fashioned blush-rose? But with very long stems!"

_The Florist:_ "No, there is noding lige that which gomes in a
crheenhouse rhoce. We got a whidte rhoce here"--he goes to his
refrigerator, and brings back a long box of roses--"that I didn't think
of before." He gives the lady an apologetic glance. "You see there is
chost the least sdain of rhet on the etch of the leafs."

_The Young Man_, examining the petals of the roses: "Ah, that is very
curious. It is a caprice, though."

_The Florist:_ "Yes, it is a kind of sbordt. That rhoce should be
berfectly whidte."

_The Young Man:_ "On the whole, I don't think it will do. I will take
some of those pure white ones. Bride, did you call them?"

_The Florist:_ "Yes, Pridte. How many?"

_The Young Man:_ "Oh, a dozen--two dozen; I don't know! I want very
long, slender stems, and the flowers with loose open petals; none of
those stout, tough-looking little buds. Here! This, and this, and all
these; no, I don't want any of those at all." He selects the different
stems of roses, and while the florist gets a box, and prepares it with a
lining of cotton and tissue-paper, he leans over and writes on a card.
He pauses and puts up his pencil; then he takes it out again and covers
the card with writing. He gives it to the florist. "I wish that to go
into the box where it will be found the first thing." He turns away, and
encounters the lady's eyes as she chances to look toward him. "I beg
your pardon! But"--

_The Lady_, smiling, and extending her hand: "I felt almost _sure_ it
was you! But I couldn't believe my senses. All the other authorities
report you in Rome."

_The Young Man:_ "I returned rather suddenly. I just got in this
morning. Our steamer was due yesterday, but there was so much ice in the
harbor that we didn't work up till a few hours ago."

_The Lady:_ "You will take all your friends by surprise."

_The Young Man:_ "I'm a good deal taken by surprise myself. Two weeks
ago I didn't dream of being here. But I made up my mind to come, and--I
came."