the Lorrys.

"He wanted to know where I'd rather spend the Spring--Washin'ton or
Lexin'ton, and I told him St. Petersburg. We had a terrific discussion
and neither of us ate a speck at dinner. Mamma said it would be all
right for me to go to St. Petersburg if Aunt Josephine was still of a
mind to go, too. You see, Auntie was scared almost out of her boots when
she heard there was prospect of war in Graustark, just as though a tiny
little war like that could make any difference away up in
Russia--hundreds of thousands of miles away--" (with a scornful wave of
the hand)--"and then I just made Auntie say she'd go to St. Petersburg
in April--a whole month sooner than she expected to go in the first
place--and--"

"You dear, dear Beverly!" cried Yetive, rushing joyously around the
table to clasp her in her arms.

"And St. Petersburg really isn't a hundred thousand miles from
Edelweiss," cried Beverly, gaily.

"It's much less than that," said Lorry, smiling, "But you surely don't
expect to come to Edelweiss if we are fighting. We couldn't think of
letting you do that, you know. Your mother would never--"

"My mother wasn't afraid of a much bigger war than yours can ever hope
to be," cried Beverly, resentfully. "You can't stop me if I choose to
visit Graustark."

"Does your father know that you contemplate such a trip?" asked Lorry,
returning her handclasp and looking doubtfully into the swimming blue