do it for all."

"Then there'll be trouble! And I don't know as I should blame them
any. Why should one of the family have all the good times and
loads of presents, and nobody else have anything--huh!"

"It hasn't established a precedent by any means," asserted Miss
Major.

"Indeed, it has! And they ought to have thought of that before
they began."

"I doubt if any such thing ever occurred to Polly and Doodles,"
interposed Miss Sterling. "They were thinking only of giving Miss
Lily a pleasant birthday. I am glad she had so many presents."

"Well, Mr. Randolph meant she should have enough candy for once,
didn't he? A five-pound box certainly! If she eats it all
herself, it'll make her sick! I don't suppose she ever had so much
at one time before, and she won't use any judgment about it. It
would have been in a good deal better taste to have given her a
simple pound box."

"Oh, no!" laughed Miss Major. "I'd rather have a five-pound box any
time! And so would you!"

"I suppose he's used to that size," retorted Miss Castlevaine. "He
probably gives 'em to his girl by the cartload--huh!"

"Who is she?" queried Miss Major.

"Why, that Puddicombe girl! He is engaged to Blanche
Puddicombe--didn't you know it?"

"No, I hadn't heard."

"Well, he is! They say the wedding isn't coming off till next
spring. I guess he's bound to have all he can get out of his
freedom till then--he won't have much after he's tied to that
silly-pate!"

"She looks it all right! Her mother isn't any too smart."

"No, and the Puddicombe side is worse. We used to think that Si
Puddicombe knew less than nothing! And Le Grand Puddicombe--"

Juanita Sterling edged a little closer into the seat corner. She
had no interest in Le Grand Puddicombe. She stared into the night.
A raw wind struck her face. Thick clouds had suddenly shut out the
moon, and a chill over-spread the earth. All was dark, dark,
except for the flashing lines ahead. The steady pur-r-r-r-r-ing of
the car was in the air. Miss Castlevaine's monotonous voice ran on
and on; but, the little woman at the end of the seat realized
nothing except the insistent words knelling through her
brain,--"Engaged to Blanche Puddicombe! Engaged to Blanche
Puddicombe!"

It was not until she was in her room, with the door safely locked,
that she commanded herself sufficiently to answer the clanging
voice.

"I don't believe it! I don't believe it!" she burst out. "It