Belle looked at Betty and a little smile curled up the corners of her beautiful red mouth. "I don't see anything wrong with Harry Spearman, and he's an old friend of the Delanos. My word, but isn't Graham a good sport?" Presently when they went into the drawing-room they found little Mrs. Guthrie sitting in front of the table with a more than usually happy smile, and Ethel lying on the sofa looking the very epitome of an interesting invalid. With a slightly critical frown on her pretty face she was reading Wells's latest novel,--a full-blooded effort well calculated to improve the condition of a girl of fifteen who had not gone back to school on account of anæmia. With quick intuition, and one glance at her mother's face, Belle knew she had heard from Peter. "Any news?" she asked eagerly. "Yes, darling,--the very best of news. A Marconi from my boy," said Mrs. Guthrie. "What does he say?" "Oh, what does he say?" asked Betty. But the question was asked mentally, because little Mrs. Guthrie was happy and must not be made jealous. Putting on her glasses with great deliberation, Mrs. Guthrie picked up a book, and with a smile of pride and excitement hunted through its pages and eventually produced the cable form, which she had used as a marker. "_Do_ hurry, mother, _dear_!" cried Belle. News from Peter meant news from Nicholas. "Now please don't fluster me, Belle. Of course I would unfold it the wrong side up, wouldn't I? Well, this is what he says: 'Expect to dock day after to-morrow, dearest Mum. All my love.'" "Is that all he says? Is there nothing about his--his friend?" Ethel gave a quiet chuckle, of which Belle coldly took no notice. "There are a few more words," replied Mrs. Guthrie, "and I expect they were very expensive." "Oh, mother, darling; _do_ go on!" "Let me see, now. Oh, yes. 'And to Betty.'" "Oh, thank you," said Betty. "Oh, Peter, my Peter!" she cried in her heart. This time Ethel laughed. But no one noticed it. It was rather disappointing. "At last I shall see Nicholas again," thought Belle,--"at last!" And the little mother folded up the cable very carefully and slipped it back into the book. Peter had sent it to her,--to her. And then Belle turned her attention to her little sister, who not only looked most interesting, but knew that she did. "I think you condescended to be amused, Grandmamma," she said, in the most good-natured spirit of chaff. Like everybody else in the family she was really rather proud of this very finished production of an ultra-modern and fashionable school. "I seem to have missed a lot of fun by not going to Europe," replied Ethel. "It would have been very entertaining to watch you and Betty fall in love." "I guess so," said Belle. "The only thing is that you would have been very much odd man out. They draw the line at little school-girls at Oxford."