Bright and early after breakfast, the Merediths, bidding Aunt Janice good-bye, started out on their exploring expedition into the forest.

"You may make a whole day of it, if you like," Aunt Janice had said, "and have a picnic dinner—only be careful."

"We will—" they assented, "and as you don't mind if we stay all day, we can camp out, and play we're a gypsy band, and have lots of fun."

The old lady smiled. Beth had run back for a moment.

"Won't you be lonely?" she asked, but Aunt Janice thinking of their pleasure, had shaken her head.

"Not since you'll be coming back to have supper with me; don't stay any longer than sundown."

"All right," replied Don.

"I nearly forgot," Nora began, "may we invite any one in the forest, whom we chance to meet?"

Aunt Janice nodded in the affirmative, and at last they were off.

The blue mist across the hills was melting into thousands of sparkling dewdrops, as the sun began to climb higher in the sky.

Janey looked at the open scenery as they came to the edge of the shadowy forest.

"I wish we were going to the hills to camp—it's dark in there, where the pathway is so shadowed by the forest trees!"

Nora read her thoughts, and put a warning finger to her lips.

"Don't be silly, Janey; don't you see Don and Harry ahead? We'll play that we are all going on a quest, and they will be our knights—there's nothing to fear."

Janey's face brightened, and Beth and Alice, thinking only of the good time ahead, danced merrily along the way.

"Wouldn't it be fun, if we found a little cabin, in the heart of the forest?" Don turned toward Harry to help with the basket of lunch, that he had been carrying since they left.

Harry's eyes began to sparkle.

"Maybe we will; I, for one, am out on a real adventure."

"We're leaving the mystery of the tower room behind—" Janey paused, remembering that it was Aunt Janice's secret, after all, of which she spoke; yet she had not been able to shake off her nervous feelings, even though Nora had laughed at her fears!

"I read a story once called, 'The Adventure of the Happy Heart.'"

"What a pretty title, Nora—tell us about it."

"The Happy Heart stood for anyone who tried to make someone, who was lonely, glad, every day or whenever the opportunity arose, on the road of life, as they adventured along its path."

"What a lovely idea!" Janey cried. "Where did you find the story?"

"In our Sunday school library; it all ended with the heart that started out to bring gladness into other lives along the way; because every happy heart in turn, made another happy, and the one who started it, was full to overflowing with joy, all of her days!"

"Let's try and find someone today on our adventure."

"There's no time like the present," Don stepped back, and pointed mysteriously through an opening in the trees ahead, that revealed at the end of a winding footpath, a real log—cabin!

"Oh," gasped Janey, turning to catch Beth and Alice's hands—"maybe it's a gypsy hut!"

"Don't be a goose-girl," laughed Don, "whoever heard of a gypsy settling down in one place; they are a wandering tribe."

"We'll be the scouts and go ahead and bring back a report."

Harry and Don started forward—

"Brave knights of old—" Nora said softly, as the two disappeared down the trail, toward the unknown, in the shape of a small cabin at the end!

"Well, this may be our chance to begin on our quest for happy hearts,"
Nora, her eyes following the boys, spoke again.

"I like adventuring for happy hearts, don't you?"

"So do I—"

"And I—"

"And I!"

"I believe Aunt Janice was the first one on our chain."

"I believe you are right, Janey—" and Nora smiled around on the group—"we shall count her as the first link of joy on our quest of adventuring for happy hearts!"

"Lovely!" exclaimed Janey—"I wonder who will be the next?"

"I wonder, too—" Nora replied, as they watched the retreating "knights" disappearing down the shadowy forest trail!