“Certainly,” said he, instantly removing it; “I was not before aware that it was there,” and a very peculiar smile was perceptible about his mouth, as he, too, caught sight of his sister, who, with an approving nod for me, passed on. I could have cried with vexation, for I feared he would think me very prudish, and I knew well enough that his familiarity was only the promptings of an unusually kind and affectionate nature. After staying a few moments longer, he arose to go, saying as he turned towards me, “Jessie gave you my flowers, I suppose.” “Yes sir,” I replied, while my face again grew scarlet. “They were beautiful, and I thank you very much.” “I am glad to hear it,” he continued, looking me steadily in my eyes. “I thought perhaps, you did not like them when I found them on the walk, withered and dried by the sun.” I was trying to think what to say by way of apology for thus treating his gift, when little Jessie came to my relief, by saying, “She didn’t like to throw ’em away, but ma didn’t want her to keep ’em.” “Ah, yes. I understand it now,” said he, adding in an undertone, as he shook my hand, in accordance with the southern custom of bidding good-bye: “I hope, Miss Lee, you will exercise your own judgment in such trivial matters as that.” That night I cried myself to sleep, half wishing I had never come to Cedar Grove, for I knew Mrs. Lansing would prove an exacting, unreasonable mistress; and when Ada came home, my situation, I thought, would be anything but agreeable; while, worse than all the rest, was the fear that I had displeased Mr. Delafield, and appeared very ridiculous in his eyes. Supposing he had put his arm on my chair, was that any reason why I should get angry and speak to him as I did? It was his way, and as he had said, he was not himself aware of what he was doing. Of course, then, he would think me very foolish, and would ever after treat me with coolness and indifference. How then was I surprised, when the next morning, in the presence of his sister, he handed me a much larger and handsomer bouquet than the one of the preceding day, saying, as he did so, “I want you to keep this and not throw it away, as you did my other one.”