wall.

"And they _did_ put up their lorgnettes and say, 'Is _that_ the one?'"
she declared; "and I know some of them finished with 'Did you ever?'
too," she sighed.

But Billy did not stay long in Mrs. Carleton's softly-lighted,
flower-perfumed rooms. At ten minutes past four she was saying good-by
to a group of friends who were vainly urging her to remain longer.

"I can't--I really can't," she declared. "I'm due at the South Station
at half past four to meet a Miss Arkwright, a young cousin of Aunt
Hannah's, whom I've never seen before. We're to meet at the sign of
the pink," she explained smilingly, just touching the single flower she
wore.

Her hostess gave a sudden laugh.

"Let me see, my dear; if I remember rightly, you've had experience
before, meeting at this sign of the pink. At least, I have a very vivid
recollection of Mr. William Henshaw's going once to meet a _boy_ with
a pink, who turned out to be a girl. Now, to even things up, your girl
should turn out to be a boy!"

Billy smiled and reddened.

"Perhaps--but I don't think to-day will strike the balance," she
retorted, backing toward the door. "This young lady's name is 'Mary
Jane'; and I'll leave it to you to find anything very masculine in
that!"

It was a short drive from Mrs. Carleton's Commonwealth Avenue home to
the South Station, and Peggy made as quick work of it as the narrow,
congested cross streets would allow. In ample time Billy found herself
in the great waiting-room, with John saying respectfully in her ear:

"The man says the train comes in on Track Fourteen, Miss, an' it's on
time."

At twenty-nine minutes past four Billy left her seat and walked down the
train-shed platform to Track Number Fourteen. She had pinned the pink
now to the outside of her long coat, and it made an attractive dash
of white against the dark-blue velvet. Billy was looking particularly
lovely to-day. Framing her face was the big dark-blue velvet picture hat
with its becoming white plumes.

During the brief minutes' wait before the clanging locomotive puffed
into view far down the long track, Billy's thoughts involuntarily went
back to that other watcher beside a train gate not quite five years
before.

"Dear Uncle William!" she murmured tenderly. Then suddenly she
laughed--so nearly aloud that a man behind her gave her a covert glance
from curious eyes. "My! but what a jolt I must have been to Uncle
William!" Billy was thinking.

The next minute