"I am afraid Katie has cut you out with Marion," exclaimed Uncle Jim.
"How foolish!" protested Aunt Caroline. "Irma has no such ideas. Marion has never exerted himself for Irma, and she has always been too busy to think of him."
"When it's quite dark," continued Uncle Jim, "we must walk over to the Piazza in front of the Palazzo Vecchio. They say the illumination of the tower is the thing best worth seeing, better even than the fireworks these crowds are waiting for."
A little later the three stood in front of the tall gray tower of the old palace, whose outlines were wonderfully beautiful, set in a frame of fire made up of countless tiny lamps.
"Hello," cried a voice, "we didn't expect to see you here." Richard was the speaker, and with him were Marion and Ellen.
"Where is Katie?" asked Aunt Caroline.
"Oh, she and Marion have had some kind of a spat, and she insisted on our leaving her at the hotel."
"Spat! Nonsense!" interposed Ellen.
"Well, a quarrel by any other name will do just as well. I'm glad she can stay with mother. One of us ought to be with her."