"Well, dear," she said, "when shall we have the tea-party ?" "Day after to-morrow, please, Aunt Camilla." "That will give 'Liza time to make cake," said Camilla.

"I will send the invitations to-morrow, dear." "'Liza will be too busy cake-making to run on errands," said Lucina, though her heart smote her, for this was where the true gist of her duplicity came in; "write them now, Aunt Camilla, and give them to me.

I will see that they are delivered." The afternoon of the next day Lucina, being out riding, passed Doctor Prescott's house, and called to Jake Noyes in the yard to take Miss Camilla's little gilt-edged, lavender-scented note of invitation.
"Please give this to Mr.Lawrence," said she, prettily, and rode on.
The other notes were in her pocket, but she had not delivered them when she returned home at sunset.
"I am going to run over to Elmira Edwards and carry them," she told her mother after supper, and pleaded that she would like the air when Mrs.Merritt suggested that Hannah be sent.
Thus it happened that Jerome Edwards, coming home about nine o'clock that night, noticed, the moment he opened the outer door, the breath of roses and lavender, and a subtle thrill of excitement and almost fear passed over him.

"Who is it ?" he thought.

He listened, and heard voices in the parlor.