"I didn't bring them, really. Dr. Clark wanted them to have a change of air, and when Mrs. Doyle heard I was coming here she asked if I would mind playing escort to her girls,—a change of air spelt only Texas to them, it seems. My delight may better be imagined than described, and—here we are. Ah, Miss Kitty, you see me at last!" He paused to shake hands with the young lady, and then the others came shyly up with greetings.
"You didn't know I had a surprise up my sleeve, did you?" Blue Bonnet challenged the girls.
"You must wear long sleeves!" laughed Kitty, tilting her chin to look up at the tall military figure.
The General laughed with the rest but Blue Bonnet could see him looking about with some impatience. "Where's Alec?" he asked finally.
"We'll go find him. Take everybody indoors, will you, Grandmother? I'll be back in a minute." Looking particularly small and slight, Blue Bonnet moved off with her tall companion towards the croquet-ground, where Alec, all unconscious of their approach, stood on a step-ladder adjusting one of the paper lanterns.
"How is the boy by this time?" General Trent asked.
"I—I don't know," Blue Bonnet stammered. It was quite true; she had given up trying to guess the state of Alec's health.
The horizontal line between the General's eyes grew deeper: it was plain that the girl shrank from telling him the worst.
Alec had started to descend the ladder when he caught sight of the approaching pair. For a second he stood transfixed with surprise; then with a real cowboy "whoop" of joy, took a flying leap from his perch, cleared various obstacles with a bound, and literally fell upon his grandfather.
"How splendid of you to come, sir!" was all he could exclaim for some minutes.