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But Anstice h Bruce Cheniston had hitherto taken the second place in Iris' esteem, when once she realized that Anstice had apparently no intention of renewing their late friendship she gently put the thought of him out of her heart and turned for relief to theof Iris' birthday, a glorious day in ates were all ablaze with roses and sweet-peas, with tall white lilies whose golden hearts flung sweetest incense on the soft air, with great eous splashes of colour, round of velvet lawns and dark-green cedar trees

This was the day on which Bruce Cheniston had decided to put his fortune to the test; and as he looked out of hisat Cherry Orchard and noted the misty blue haze which foretold a day of real summer heat, he told himself that on such a day as this there could be no need to fear a reverse in his present luck

He whistled as he dressed, and when the breakfast-bell rang he went downstairs feeling at peace with hi, Chloe What a day!" He stooped and kissed his sister as he passed behind her chair, and she looked faintly amused at the unusual salutation

"Yes A beautiful day" Her deep voice expressed little pleasure in theanywhere particular that the fine weather fills you with such joy?"

"No--only over to Greengates" He was so accusto this reply that it came out almost automatically and certainly caused Chloe no surprise

"It's Iris' birthday, isn't it, Bruce?" Cherry flatly refused to endow her uncle with the title which rightly belonged to hiive her?"

"Give her? Well, co loth, Cherry obeyed, and stood beside him attentively while he opened a ss each consisting of a tiny, pear-shapedat the end of a thin platinus! But Iris hasn't any holes in her ears, enuine

"I know that, you little goose! But these don't want holes--see, you screw them on like this"

He took one of her little pink ears in his fingers and screwed on the earring deftly