But the child came back again to Judith Lynn. She held out one little sun-browned, sea-browned hand. "I'm happy to have seen you," she said, with soft graciousness, as if Judith were a duchess in laces instead of a boy-girl in fisherman's togs. "I'd be pleased to see you some more. I like you." "Oh!" stammered the boy-girl in fisherman's togs, a flush of pleasure reddening her brown face. No one had even said "I'd be pleased to see you," to her before, though Blossom, of course, _was_ always pleased. No one but Blossom had ever said, "I like you," and Blossom's way was, "I love you." "I must go--she's 'most here," went on the child, rather anxiously. "But first I wish you'd tell me who Blossom is. You spoke about Blossom, didn't you?" "Yes. She's my little sister. Her regular name is Janet. It's only me calls her Blossom." "Oh, but that's lots the prettiest name! _I'm_ going to call her that, too. I'd be pleased to see Blossom. Is she about my tallness?" Judith's face had undergone one of its swift changes. It had grown defensive and a little fierce. She should not see Blossom!--this other child who could walk away over the sand to meet Elises, whoever Elises were. She should not see Blossom! Blossom should not see her! "But, maybe--prob'ly she's a baby--" "No, she's six. She'd be about as tall as you are, if she was straightened--I mean if she could stand up beside o' you. I guess you better go to that woman in the cap or she'll scold, won't she?" "Goodness, yes! Elise always scolds. But I'd rather be scolded than not hear about that little Blossom girl--" "Mademoiselle!" called the woman in the cap sharply. She came up puffing with her hurry. "Mademoiselle has escape again--Mademoiselle is ba-ad!" she scolded. "I didn't ex-scape, either--I only walked. You don't walk when you ex-scape. You sat and sat and sat, and I wanted to walk." The child's voice was full of grievance. Sometimes she dreaded Elise--when she saw her coming down the beach--but she was never afraid of her "near to." "But it is not for Mademoiselle to walk so far--what is it the doctor say? Mademoiselle is ba-ad when she walk so far!" With a sudden gesture of defiance the Dainty One sprang away across the sand, looking over her shoulder willfully. "But it's so good to walk!" she cried. "You'd walk if you was me, Elise--you'd walk and walk and walk! Like this--see me! See me run--like this!" The eyes of the woman in the white nurse's cap met for an instant the eyes of the boy-girl in the oilskins, and Judith smiled. But Elise was gravely tender--Elise's face could undergo swift changes, too. "Yes, certainment I would," muttered Elise, looking away to the naughty little figure. It was running back now. "And then you'd be goody again--see me!" chanted the child. "And you'd go right straight back to Elise--that would be _me_, if you were I--and you'd put your arms round her, so, and say, ''Scuse me,'--hear me!"