But her anger died out as she walked on in the bright sunshine, watching the strange scenes around her with eager eyes.  More than one head turned admiringly, as the daintily dressed little girl and the great St. Bernard passed slowly down the broad boulevard.  It seemed as if all the nurses and babies in Touraine were out for an airing on the grass where the benches stood, between the long double rows of trees.

Once Lloyd stopped to peep through a doorway set in a high stone wall.  Within the enclosure a group of girls, in the dark uniforms of a charity school, walked sedately around, arm in arm, under the watchful eyes of the attendant nuns.  Then some soldiers passed on foot, and a little while after, some more dashed by on horseback, and she remembered that Tours was the headquarters of the Ninth Army corps, and that she might expect to meet them often.

Not till the tolling of the great cathedral bell reminded her that it was time to go back to the hotel, did she think again of Howl and Kenny and Fidelia.  By that time her walk had put her into such a pleasant frame of mind, that she could think of them without annoyance.

CHAPTER VIII.

WITH BETTY AND EUGENIA

When the Little Colonel reached the hotel, the omnibus was leaving the door to go to the railroad station, a few blocks away.  Thinking that Betty and Eugenia might be on the coming train, she went into the parlour to wait for the return of the omnibus.  She had bought a box of chocolate creams at the cake shop on the corner to divide with Hero.

Fidelia had wandered down to the parlour in her absence, and now seated at the old piano was banging on its yellow keys with all her might.  She played unusually well for a girl of her age, but Lloyd had a feeling that a public parlour was not a place to show off one’s accomplishments, and her nose went up a trifle scornfully as she entered.

Then she caught sight of herself in the mirror over the mantel, and her expression changed instantly.

“For mercy sakes!” she said to herself.  “I look like one of the proud and haughty sistahs in ‘Cindahella,’ as if I thought the earth wasn’t good enough for me to step on.  It certainly isn’t becoming, and it would make me furious if anybody looked at me in such a cool, scornful way.  I know that I feel that way inside whenevah I talk to Fidelia.  I wondah if she sees it in my face, and that’s what makes her cross and scratchy, like a cat that has had its fur rubbed the wrong way.  Just for fun I believe I’ll pretend to myself for ten minutes that I love her deahly, and I’ll smile when I talk to her, just as if she were Betty, and nevah pay any attention to her mean speeches.  I’ll give her this one chance.  Then if she keeps on bein’ hateful, I’ll nevah have anything moah to do with her again.”

So while Fidelia played on toward the end of the waltz, purposely regardless of Lloyd’s presence, Lloyd, sitting behind her, looked into the mirror, and practised making pleasant faces for Fidelia’s benefit.