grown up? John continued for some time to scratch a puzzled head. “Are you not aware of any change in yourself?” he asked. She reflected for a moment. “No,” she replied seriously. “Of course I know more. I can speak French and Italian--” Professors of these tongues, duly hedged about with ceremonial, had for a long time past attended in the sea-chamber--“and I know lots more of history and geography and geology and astronomy and zoology--oh, Belovedest dear, I 'm dying to see a giraffe! Do you think if he stood on the beach he could stick his head through the window and look at me? And a hippopotamus--can't you bring one in on a string? Or do you think Constable would bite him?” John expounded the cases of the giraffe and the hippopotamus with great gravity. Her eyebrows contracted ever so little, and a spark danced in her eyes as she waited for the end of the lecture. “Oh, dear, can't you see a joke?” “Joke?” “Why, yes. Don't you think I know all about hippopotamuses?” “Four years ago,” said John, “if I had told you that a wyvern and a unicorn were coming to tea, you would have believed me. Now you would n't. You 've grown up. That's what I meant.” “I see,” said Stellamaris. But she did n't; for she turned the conversation back to the palace. “I'm afraid, dear,” said he, “that the cats are dead and Arachne has married a stock-broker, and I 've been so busy that the palace has run to seed.” “I thought she was going to marry a duke,” said Stella, whose memory for unimportant detail was femininely tenacious. “The duke was caught by Miss Cassandra P. Wurgles,” said John, once more launched on the sea of romance. “What a funny name,” said Stella. “It's the kind of name,” he replied, “always given in English fiction to the heiresses of the Middle West of America.” “Was she an heiress?” “Worth billions. After they were married they do say she would n't let the duke wipe his razor on anything less valuable than a thousand-dollar bill.” “I don't think that's quite true,” laughed Stella. “I don't know,” said John. “Anyhow, Arachne fell back on a stock-broker named Maclsaac, and now there's no one to look after the palace.” “No one at all?” Her voice was full of pity. “Not a soul,” said he. A tragic pause followed this forlorn declaration. “Dear Belovedest,” said Stella, very seriously, “I do wish I could come and set it right for you.” Their eyes met. John sighed. “I wish you could,” said he. “There 's a fairy wand standing in the corner which no one but you can touch. It gives every one else an electric shock that sends them head over heels. But if you could get it and wave it about the place, you would make all sorts of dead things come to glorious life, and fill all the garden walks with flowers, and make the waters live again in the fountains.”