Unconsciously he pronounced this name with a tenderness which revealed to his mother something that he had not intended she should know. A look of intelligence overspread her face.
"I begin to see how it is, my boy," she said, gently.
"I think I understand what is the matter with you."
"Have you turned seeress?" he asked, smiling faintly.
"No; but I can minister to a mind diseased when I know the nature of the disease."
"Well, what is my disease, mother mine?" he asked, lightly.
"Frederic, you are in love!"
"In love!" he repeated, flushing. "Then perhaps you can tell with whom I am in love?"
"I think I can."