“Isn’t she the very sweetest thing?” asked Jane as they approached, adding wistfully, “But I truly wish her dear nose didn’t tilt up!”

Zura with stern, forbidding brows, but laughing eyes, rebuked the wisher.  “See here, Miss Jinny Gray, that is the only nose I have, if it is sudden.  I’ve worked hard to coax it in the straight and narrow path.  I’ve even slept on my face for a week at a time.”  Then with swift, dramatic gestures as the gong sounded at the entrance-door, she whispered, “Hush!  The man of mystery doth appear!”

Page Hanaford came in.  All our tempting tonics and special dishes had failed to curve the angles in the boy’s face and body.  He still looked ill.  The brooding sadness that frequently overshadowed his lighter moods troubled me.

When he caught sight of Zura, his alertness of manner was pleasing and the kind of joy-look in his eyes did me good.  I guessed he was downright glad to see something youthful hovering around the “Misty Star.”  I was glad too, but the situation did not seem to call for hurrahs and fireworks.  Two young American people meeting, shaking hands, and courteously greeting each other was an unusual sight to me, but after all a natural one.  Page said he had been obliged to forego the pleasure of seeing us, as he had been very busy organizing his new classes.  He was glad to come again.

We went at once to dinner.  I wondered from where the new “chefess” and her assistant “potato peeler” had procured the materials necessary to so pretentious a meal.  Though surprised, I soon learned that Jane Gray was mistress of the art of making something beautiful out of nothing.

We sat down to the softly-lighted table.  The china was old and somewhat chipped, but on its white background a design in tender blue just matched the fresh larkspur used for table decorations.  With the bringing in of each dish prepared by the new cooks the little party grew gayer and friendlier.  The quaint old dining-room had never witnessed festivities like these.  In the long ago it served as the audience chamber of a Daimyo’s ‘Besso’ or play place.  It was here that the feudal lord had held council of war and state.  The walls had never before echoed the laughter of joyous youth.  Now even the grotesque figures on the carved beams seemed to awaken from a long sleep and give back smile for smile.

Pine Tree and Maple Leaf, gay in holiday dress, usually so precise and formal, fluttered about like distracted butterflies as they served the dinner, often stopping to hide their faces in the long sleeves when Zura honored them with side remarks for, of course, she was the source of all the merriment, the life of the party.  She also reduced Jane to a state of helpless laughter.  I felt the years dropping away from me, and the face of the boy whom I had learned to love was less strained and brighter than I had ever seen it.  He said little at first, but his eyes smiled, and he listened eagerly to all Zura’s chatter and seemed to be hearing once again of joys dreamed of and a world lost to him.