Then they had her in their midst, and everybody was trying to greet her at once.  Josephine’s arm was about her, and Sally was regarding the group with a radiant smile, crying girlishly; “Oh, how good you people do look!  How dear of you all to come down!  If I only could stay just a little longer!  We don’t stop but ten minutes, instead of twenty, the train is so late.  Uncle Tim doesn’t know you are here—­I was afraid he would be too excited to sleep the rest of the night, and he’s only just dropped off.  Oh, how are you all?  You look perfectly fine—­I don’t believe you’ve pined away a bit, missing me!  Let me look at you.”

She studied each in turn, missing nobody.  Her clear gaze, the blue eyes black beneath the shadowing thick lashes, met each answering pair of eyes with a steady scrutiny which did not once waver.

“That was a review one would be sorry not to be able to stand,” said Ferry to Josephine, as Sally ended by thrusting her arm through Max’s and leading him off by himself.  “Miss Sally put us all to the test in that minute, didn’t she?  She gives the impression of demanding the best one has—­rather an unusual characteristic in a girl of her age.”

“She does demand the best—­and gets it,” answered Josephine warmly.

Ten feet away Sally was speaking hurriedly:  “The thing I wanted most to see you for, Maxy, was to make sure you weren’t really angry with me for taking my own way about this.”

Her hand pressed his arm.  She was looking up into his face.  He returned the gaze.  “I was angry, Sis,” he admitted.  “But, somehow, now that I see you, I can’t seem to get up steam to tell you so.  I suppose you’re right—­but the place is mighty lonesome without you.  If it wasn’t for the Ferrys—­”

“Are they over much?”

“We get them over as often as we can.  I say, I’ve been noticing that Jarve and Janet seem to hit it off pretty well.”

“Do they?  That’s very nice.  You like Janet yourself, don’t you?”

“She’s the belle of the ball, now you’re away, and a mighty jolly girl to have around.  If you don’t look out your old friend J.B. will slip away from you.”

Sally’s head went up, her cheeks bloomed a deeper colour.  “If I weren’t going to leave you in a minute I should punish you for that piece of brotherly impertinence,” said she, with spirit.  “Have I ever laid hands on anybody to keep him, for you to talk of ’slipping away’?”

“No—­you’re not that sort,” conceded Max, with a laugh which certainly carried a hint of brotherly admiration.

Sally walked straight over to Janet, at whose other side stood Jarvis.  “Janet,” said she, “Max says you are the life of them all.  I’m so glad—­and it’s so kind of your mother and brother to bring you over to make the evenings pleasant.  You’ll keep on being good to them all winter, won’t you?”