rnible to Delaven, who had grown so accustomed to his sardonic
comments on things in general that they no longer caused surprise.

"Of course, Judge; I'll show them to you myself," and Mrs. McVeigh let
fall the last of the vines and joined him at the window--"so charming
of you to remember them at all."

"Don't you want to go along and study the progress of autumn roses?"
asked Evilena, peering around the window at Delaven, who laughed at
the pretended demureness and timidity with which she invested the
question.

"Not at this moment, my lady. Autumn roses, indeed!--while there's a
wild flower in sight--not for the O'Delavens!"

And the O'Delaven's bright Irish eyes had so quizzical a smile in them
the girl blushed and was covered with confusion as with a mantle, and
gathering the blossoms in her arms seated herself ostentatiously close
to Mr. Loring's chair while she arranged them, and Delaven might
content himself with a view of one pink ear and a delicious dimple in
one cheek, which he contemplated from the lounging chair back of her,
and added to his occupation by humming, very softly, a bit of the old
song:

"Ten years have gone by and I have not a dollar;
Evilena still lives in that green grassy hollow;
And though I am fated to marry her never,
I'm sure that I'll love her for ever and ever!"

"For ever and ever! I say, Miss Evilena, how do you suppose the fellow
in the song could be so dead sure of himself, for ever and ever?"

"Probably he wasn't an Irishman," suggested the girl, bending lower
over the blossoms that he might not see her smiling.

"Arrah, now, I had conjured up a finer reason than that entirely; it
had something to do with the charms of your namesake, but I'll not be
telling you of it while you carry a nettle on your tongue to sting
poor harmless wanderers with."

His pondrous sigh was broken in on by her laughter, and the beat of
hoofs on the drive. While they looked at each other questioningly the
voice of Judithe was heard speaking to Pluto, and then humming the
refrain of Evilena's favorite, "Bonnie Blue Flag," she ran up to the
veranda where Mrs. McVeigh met her.

"Oh, what a glorious gallop I had. Good morning, Judge Clarkson. How
glad I am that you came right over soon as you got home. You are to us
a recruit from the world whom we depend on to tell us all about doings
there, and it is so good of you."

"It argues no virtue in a man,