"Seems as if I'd ought to be married while I have 'em! They're such beautiful roses to be married in!" And this was Stefana, their matter-of-fact, starchy little white-washer! This rapt, dreamy little face was Stefana's face! "Sometimes," Stefana murmured, "sometimes I've dreampt--" but Miss Theodosia did not quite catch what it was Stefana had sometimes "dreampt," but it was something sweet. Stefana a little dreamer of sweet dreams! One of them must have been a rose-dream, and this was that dream come true. The call of congratulation was a brief one. It seemed little short of irreverence to have seen at all that picture of Stefana rocking her roses in the little wooden rocker. Miss Theodosia slipped away with it hung on the walls of her mind--she would never take it down. John Bradford was coming along the road and she went a little way to meet him. Some of Stefana's radiance was in her own face. "I've found it," she announced in soft triumph. "Good!" he hazarded at random. It was always good to find things. But he wondered at the radiance. "My romance that I knew was somewhere. I've found it! I told you so!" "Found it where?" he demanded. He was unconsciously stirred by her emotion. He followed her glance to the little House of Flaggs. "Not--there?" "Yes, there. Stefana is dreaming it over a lapful of red roses. I have been there and seen her. Is romance dead--is it? Go and look at Stefana!" But she held him back from going. "No, no, I didn't mean it! Not in cold blood--I didn't go in cold blood. You will have to take my word for it." "I will take your word." "That romance is not dead?" "That romance is alive. But who would have thought of it's being _Stefana_!" "Who would have thought!" echoed Miss Theodosia. Elly Precious was fretting restlessly when she got back. The children were on the porch. "Nothing's the matter with him," Evangeline explained, "unless it's because he's a-goin' to be taken. I told him he was. It is kind of scaring to be taken. I feel kind of that way, too." "Taken where?" "Not any where--just _taken_. His picture an' mine an' Carruthers'--we're all goin' to be taken now, pretty soon. I must go home an' prink Elly Precious an' Carruthers. You see, Mr. Bradford promised to take Stefana because it's her birthday, an' first we knew he said he'd take all o' us! He's got a camera. That's him now! I guess he's waitin' for Elly Precious an' me." She was hurrying away, but bethought herself of something. "The cake!" she said. "If Elly Precious'll be still, I can carry it on my other arm. Maybe we'll be so busy being taken that I can't come over again before supper."