"My dear child," cried Dolly with a laugh, "I cannot think of being so old-fashioned as to have nervous prostration. Let me see. I might be astigmatic. That seems to be the proper thing nowadays. Then I could wear glasses and look the character of the school-ma'am. Then I could say I could not dance because I could not see, because of course I could not dance in spectacles. But for the matter of that, my dear, you need not lecture me. You are as bad as I am, and much worse--yours is a much harder life than mine." Just as Dolly was about to draw a comparison between her own existence and her friend's, the door opened and Stubbs entered the room bearing a dozen enormous roses, of the kind known as American beauties. Dolly, who had a passion for flowers, sprang up, and seized upon them with an exclamation of delight. "What beauties! What perfect beauties!" she said. "You lucky creature! Who in the world sends you such things?" Mrs. Darche had risen from her seat and had buried her face in the thick blossoms while Dolly held them. "I am sure I do not know," she said. "Oh Marion!" answered Dolly, smiling. "Innocence always was your strong point, and what a strong point it is. I wish people would send me flowers like these." "I have no doubt they do, my dear. Do not pretend they do not. Come and help me arrange them instead of talking nonsense. Even if it were true that my life is harder than yours--I do not know why--you see there are alleviations." Dolly did not answer at once. She was wondering just how much her friend knew of the actual state of things, and she was surprised to feel a little touch of pain when she contrasted the truth, so far as she knew it, with the negatively blissful ignorance in which Mrs. Darche's nearest and best friends were doing their best to keep her. "Of course there are alleviations in your life, just as there are in mine," she said at last, "changes, contrasts and all that sort of thing. My kindergarten alleviates my dancing and my cotillons vary the dulness of my school teaching." She paused and continued to arrange the flowers in silence, looking back now and then and glancing at them. Mrs. Darche did not speak, but watched her idly, taking a certain artistic pleasure in the fitness of the details which made up the little picture before her. "But I would not lead your life for anything in the world," added Dolly at last with great decision. "Oh, nonsense, Dolly!" "Are you happy, Marion?" asked Dolly, suddenly growing very grave. "Happy?" repeated Mrs. Darche, a little surprised by the sudden question. "Yes, why not? What do you mean by happy?" "What everybody means, I suppose." "What is that?" "Why, wanting things and getting them, of course--wanting a ten cent thing a dollar's worth, and having it." "What a definition!" exclaimed Mrs. Darche. "But I really do believe you enjoy your life." "Though it would bore you to extinction."