“I think you had better say that I am here,” said Madison, hesitating. “Oh, why?” exclaimed Sophy, impatiently; but seeing that he was firm in regard to this, she ran upstairs and peeped into Peter’s room. He was still lying with his face turned away, and she did not look far enough to see that Victoria was sitting behind the door. She ran down again as quickly as she had gone up and once more grasped Mr. Madison by the hand. “It is all right,” she said. “Come right up.” They mounted the stairs, and still hand in hand they entered Peter’s room. “Peter,” said the small sister, “here’s a grown-up man come to see you. Here is Mr. Madison.” Peter turned his head, and Sophy gave a sigh of relief. He had actually moved and was looking at them. At the same moment an exclamation of surprise came from some one else. Victoria rose to her feet and stood for a moment in silence. She gave one glance at Mr. Madison, and then her eyes fell, while the color came and went in her cheeks. She looked precisely as she had looked in the picture shop and stood in almost the same attitude. Madison recognized her at once, and he held out his hand. “I’m glad to meet you again,” he said simply. “Please don’t tell any one,” said Victoria. “No one knows it, and I’ve tried not to meet you. Honor wouldn’t like it.” “Very well,” said he, gravely, and Victoria could see that he was surprised at her remark. “Just as you say, of course.” Then she left the room, wondering if she had said the wrong thing. Was it what Honor would call “unconventional”? She wished that she had never tried to hide the fact that she had met Roger Madison before. It was such a little thing in itself, and yet it was constantly leading her to do rude and peculiar things. This was certainly a most trying afternoon, and again Victoria shut herself into her room and cried, and though Sophy came more than once and rattled the handle of the door, she would not let her in. Sophy, when Mr. Madison was safely shut into Peter’s room, lost no time in making known the fact to her sisters. “Why, Sophy!” exclaimed Honor. “How did he happen to come?” “I met him at the station,” said she, “and I told him we wished we had a grown-up man, and so he said he would come. I didn’t ask him to, Honor. Really and truly I didn’t ask him to come. I only said we needed him.” “But, Sophy dear, that amounted to the same thing, and don’t you remember that I said we mustn’t ask him. I wouldn’t have had you do it for the world.” “I don’t see why, Honor. You asked Miss Madison to come the other day. Why can’t we ask Mr. Madison?” “The cases are very different,” said Honor, somewhat severely, “and you ought not to have done what I told you not to.” “Oh dear me,” cried Sophy, tears again trembling on her lashes, “I only wanted to make Peter better, and I didn’t really ask him to come! I only said I wished he was our brother, for then he’d be here.” “You didn’t say that, surely, Sophy!” exclaimed Katherine.