that long rope--what did I have it for, in the first place--"

"You had it to guy the apple tree," Alix reminded him. "Don't you
remember you got a regular ship's cable to tie that tree, and it
never worked? The tree that died after all--"

"Ah, yes!" said her father, his attentive face brightening. "Ah,
yes! Now WHERE is that rope?" But even as Alix observed that she
had seen it somewhere, and advanced a tentative guess as to the
cellar, his eyes fell upon Cherry, and went from Cherry's absorbed
face--for she was dreaming over her breakfast--to Peter, and he
wondered if Peter HAD kissed her.

"Come on, let's get at it!" Alix exclaimed with relish. She loved
a struggle of any description, had prepared for this one with
sleeves rolled to the elbows, and had put on heavy shoes and her
briefest skirt. "Come on, Sweetums," she added, to the dog, who
had somehow wormed his way into the dining room, and was beating
the floor with an obsequious tail. She caught his forepaws, and he
whipped his beautiful tail between his legs, and looked about with
agonized eyes while she dragged him through a clumsy dance. "He's
the darlingest pup we ever had!" Alix stated to Cherry, who was
departing for the upper regions and a complete costume.

"He needs a bath," Anne observed coldly, and Peter's abrupt shout
of laughter made Alix flush angrily.

"Bring your cigarette out here, Peter," the old doctor said,
crossing the garden to look in the abandoned greenhouse for his
rope. "We're in no hurry," he said. "We may as well wait until