[Sidenote:  The Air of Knowing]

“I will go out into the kitchen,” mused Eloise, “and I will have the air of knowing all about everything.  I will say:  ’Mary Ann, I have ordered a lobster for you to boil.  We will have a salad for lunch.  And I trust you have saved everything that was left last night for to-night’s soup.’  Mary Ann will be afraid of me, and Allan will be so proud.”

“‘I thought I told you,’ continued Eloise, to herself, ’to save all the crumbs.  Doctor Conrad does not like to have everything salt and he prefers to make the salad dressing himself.  Do not cook any cereal the mornings we have oranges or grape-fruit—­the starch and acid are likely to make a disturbance inside.  Four people are coming to dinner this evening.  I have ordered some pink roses and we will use the pink candle-shades.  Or, wait—­I had forgotten that my hair is red.  Use the green candle-shades and I will change the roses to white.’”

[Sidenote:  A Frolicsome Wind]

A frolicsome little wind, which had long been ruffling the waves of Eloise’s copper-coloured hair, took the note-book out of her lap and laid it open on the sand some little distance away.  Then, after making merry with the green parasol, it lifted it bodily by its roots out of the sand dune and went gaily down the beach with it.

Eloise started in pursuit, but the wind and the parasol out-distanced her easily.  Rounding the corner of another dune, she saw the parasol, with all sails set, jauntily embarked toward Europe.  Turning away, disconsolate, she collided with a big blonde giant who took her into his arms, saying, “Never mind—­I’ll get you another.”

When the first raptures had somewhat subsided, Eloise led him back to the place where the parasol had started from.  “When and where from and how did you come?” she asked, hurriedly picking up her books.

“This morning, from yonder palatial hotel, on foot,” he answered.  “I thought you’d be out here somewhere.  I didn’t ask for you—­I wanted to hunt you up myself.”

“But I might have been upstairs,” she said, reproachfully.

“On a morning like this?  Not unless you’ve changed in the last ten days, and you haven’t, except to grow lovelier.”

“But why did you come?” she asked.  “Nobody told you that you could.”

“Sweet,” said Allan, softly, possessing himself of her hand, “did you think I could stay away from you two whole weeks?  Ten days is the limit—­a badly strained limit at that.”

The colour surged into her face.  She was radiant, as though with some inner light.  The atmosphere around her was fairly electric with life and youth and joy.

[Sidenote:  Dr. Conrad]

Doctor Allan Conrad was very good to look at.  He had tawny hair and kind brown eyes, a straight nose, and a good firm chin.  He wore eye-glasses, and his face might have seemed severe had it not been discredited by his mouth.  He was smooth-shaven, and knew enough to wear brown clothes instead of grey.