He sighed and relapsed into silence while she continued, with feverish eagerness: "Of course, I know that Flower is dead! I have never doubted it with the evidence that I had. But, in spite of all, it gave me a shock to see Azalia Brooke. I feared you might be startled, too, and betray some agitation on meeting her, so I hurried back to warn you." "You are very kind, dear Jewel," he said, affecting indifference. "I dare say the resemblance is not very striking. I promise you to meet the English beauty with due calmness." "Dear Laurie," she whispered, fondly, and twined her jeweled fingers softly about his. "Do you know," she went on, smilingly, "I was actually feeling jealous of Azalia Brooke? I thought--since she looked so much like Flower--that she might win you from me!" "Nonsense!" he replied, with a smile, that lightened her heart of much of its fear, and gave her courage to say, tenderly: "Promise me, dear Laurie, not to fall in love with Azalia Brooke, for you know that would break my heart. Once before, when I fondly dreamed that you were mine alone, I lost you to another, and I could not bear that cruel pain again and live!" His heart was deeply touched by her devotion. "Jewel, I am not worthy of such passionate love," he said, feeling that his lukewarm passion compared most unfavorably with her fond affection. Then seeing how anxious she looked, he added, "I will promise you most willingly not to fall in love with Miss Brooke." "Very well, then, I will not take you away at once, as I was on the point of doing in my terror of a rival," she rejoined, laughingly, yet hoping that he would offer to go. But he did not do so. A secret longing to see Azalia Brooke took possession of him--a longing that he was wise enough not to confess to jealous Jewel. "Let us go into the conservatory," she said, longing to rest awhile in its leafy, odorous coolness, that she might settle her disordered nerves, and he gave her his arm and led her toward that favorite resort of lovers. "Young flowers were whispering in melody To happy flowers that night--and tree to tree; Fountains were gushing music as they fell." In that enchanted spot Jewel thought she should have him all to herself, for she had left Azalia Brooke in the ball-room surrounded by eager admirers, but what was her surprise to see, just ahead of her, with a handsome young man, the beautiful English girl talking so earnestly that she did not hear nor see the new-comers at all. If Azalia Brooke could have been permitted to decide under what circumstances she should be seen first by Laurie Meredith, she could not have chosen a more striking moment than the present. She had paused with her attendant cavalier beside a perfect thicket of her namesake flowers--red and white azalias. A fountain and some lofty palm-trees were in the background, and made a lovely setting for her face and dress.