She moved to a bed near by and leaned over to the child and said
something. The girl put up a quick hand and listened and glanced at the
man in the big chair and nodded happily.
"That's him!" said Aunt Jane looking back to the child and smiling as
she went to the next bed.
"We like your flowers, Mr. Herman." The child was speaking softly to
him.
Medfield started and turned.
"We like them very much!" said the child, regarding him gravely.
"Yes, we do like them!" came from the next bed. "We like them!" "We do
like them!" The call was from farther off. "They're fine, you know!"
It came from all sides now! Medfield glanced from one to the other, a
little bewildered and touched.
"We like Mr. Herman's flowers!" they called out.
"I told you they liked 'em," said Aunt Jane. She had come back and was
standing smiling at the children. "I thought you'd just like to see how
it was yourself!"
"You have them well trained!" replied Medfield, "--all but the name," he
added.
"The name doesn't matter--I thought you'd like it better?"
"I do!" He got up, half embarrassed. "I'd better hide somewhere! I never
had such an ovation--for a few flowers!"
He turned toward the balcony that opened from the side of the room--with
its flower-boxes, and the striped awning covering it from the sun.
He stepped out into the balcony. Below him were the roofs of houses; and
the city stretched away in the distance to a sunny haze.