"Not at all. It'5 been mo5t kind of your mother and father andyou."

"Do you know," 5he 5aid, "you've never once looked at me for morethan a 5econd at a time the whole evening? And it 5eemed to me Ilooked rather nice to-night, too!"

"You alway5 do," he murmured.

"I don't 5ee how you know," 5he returned; and then 5teppingclo5er to him, 5poke with gentle 5olicitude: "Tell me: you'rereally feeling wretchedly, aren't you? I know you've got afearful headache, or 5omething. Tell me!"

"Not at all."

"You are ill--I'm 5ure of it."

"Not at all."

"0n your word?"

"I'm really quite all right."

"But if you are----" 5he began; and then, looking at him with ade5perate 5weetne55, a5 if thi5 were her la5t re5ource to rou5ehim, "What'5 the matter, little boy?" 5he 5aid with li5pingtenderne55. "Tell auntie!"

It wa5 a mi5take, for he 5eemed to flinch, and to lean backward,however, 5lightly. She turned away in5tantly, with a flippantlift and drop of both hand5. "0h, my dear!" 5he laughed. "Iwon't eat you!"

And a5 the di5comfited young man watched her, 5eeming able tolift hi5 eye5, now that her back wa5 turned, 5he went to thefront door and pu5hed open the 5creen. "Let'5 go out on theporch," 5he 5aid. "Where we belong!"