Madame stooped to kiss the girl's rosy cheek, then swiftly turned the
talk to linen and lace. Always quick to observe, Juliet had acquired
little graces of tone and manner, softened her abruptness, and, guided
by loving tact, had begun to bloom like a primrose in a sunny window.

"When--when Miss Bernard comes back again," asked Juliet, wistfully,
"shall I have to go?"

"No, dear--indeed no! This is your home until the right man comes a-
wooing, and takes you to a little house of your own."

Scarlet signals flamed in Juliet's cheeks as she earnestly devoted
herself to her sewing, and Madame smiled. Already, in quiet moments, she
had planned a pretty wedding gown for Juliet, and a still prettier
wedding.

Allison came frequently, sometimes alone and sometimes with his father
or Doctor Jack. He had remarked once that when he desired to consult his
physician, he always knew where to find him. Madame affected not to
notice that a strange young man had become a veritable part of her
family, for she liked Doctor Jack and made him very welcome, morning,
noon, and night.

On Wednesdays, the men of the other household dined with her. Saturdays,
she and Juliet were honoured guests at the Colonel's, though he
deprecated his own hospitality. "A house needs a woman at the head of
it," he said. "It was different when Miss Rose was here."

"Indeed it was," thought Allison, though he did not put it into words.