"Miss Coolidge," he said, "I wonder if you would show me that lilac hedge by moonlight." "I'm afraid there isn't any moon," she answered with a merry, straightforward look. "It will be as dark as a pocket down by that hedge, Mr. King. But I'll gladly show it to you to-morrow morning--as early as you like. I'm a very early riser." "As early as six o'clock?" he asked eagerly. She nodded. "As early as that. It is a perfect time on a May morning." "And you won't go anywhere now?" "How can I?" she parried, smiling. "These are my guests." Burns glanced at his friend, his hazel eyes full of suppressed laughter. "Better be contented with that, old fellow. That row of lilacs will be very nice at six o'clock to-morrow morning. Mayn't I come, too, Miss Coolidge?" "Of course you may." Her sparkling glance met his. Evidently they were very good friends, and understood each other. "If he does," said King, in a sort of growl, "he'll have something to settle with me." He went to bed in a peculiar frame of mind. Why had she wanted to waste all these hours when at nine in the morning the party was to leave for its return trip? Well, he supposed morning would come sometime, though it seemed, at midnight, a long way off. "Want me to call you at five-thirty, Jord?" Burns had inquired of him at parting. "No, thanks," he had replied. "I'll not miss it." "A fellow might lie awake so long thinking about it that he'd go off into a sound sleep just before daylight, and sleep right through his early morning appointment," urged his loyal friend. "Better let me--" "Oh, you go on to bed!" requested King irritably. "No gratitude to one who has brought all this to pass, eh?" "Heaps of it. But this evening has been rather a facer." "Not at all. There were a dozen times when you might have rushed in and got a little quiet place all to yourself, with only the stars looking on. Plenty of openings." "I didn't see 'em. You were always in the way." "I was! Well, I like that. Had to be ordinarily attentive to my hostess, hadn't I? It wasn't for me to take shy little boys by the hand and lead them up to the little girls they fancied." "I don't want to be led up by the hand, thank you. Good-night!" * * * * *