do our share of the work," said Eliza, calmly, "but we do it in
a different way from dear Annie. She makes very hard work of work.
She has not as much system as we could wish. She tires herself
unnecessarily."

"Yes, that is quite true," assented Imogen. "Dear Annie gets very tired
over the slightest tasks, whereas if she went a little more slowly
and used more system the work would be accomplished well and with no
fatigue. There are five of us to do the work here, and the house is very
convenient."

There was a silence. Tom Reed was bewildered. "But--doesn't she want to
see me?" he asked, finally.

"Dear Annie takes very singular notions sometimes," said Eliza, softly.

"If she took a notion not to go to the door when she heard the bell
ring, she simply wouldn't," said Imogen, whose bluntness of speech was,
after all, a relief.

"Then you mean that you think she took a notion not to go to the door?"
asked Tom, in a desperate tone.

"Dear Annie is very singular," said Eliza, with such softness and
deliberation that it was like a minor chord of music.

"Do you know of anything she has against me?" asked Tom of Imogen; but
Eliza answered for her.

"Dear Annie is not in the habit of making confidantes of her sisters,"
said she, "but we do know that she sometimes takes unwarranted
dislikes."

"Which time generally cures," said Susan.

"Oh yes," assented Eliza, "which time generally cures. She can have no
reason whatever for avoiding you. You have always treated her well."

"I have always meant to," said Tom, so miserably and helplessly that
Annie, listening, felt her heart go out to this young man, badgered by
females, and she formed a sudden resolution.

"You have not seen very much of her, anyway," said Imogen.

"I have always asked for her, but I understood she was busy," said Tom,
"and that was the reason why I saw her so seldom."

"Oh," said Eliza, "busy!" She said it with an indescribable tone.

"If," supplemented Imogen, "there was system, there would be no need of
any one of us being too busy to see our friends."

"Then she has not been busy? She has not wanted to see me?" said Tom. "I
think I understand at last. I have been a fool not to before. You girls
have broken it to me as well as you could. Much obliged, I am sure. Good
night."

"Won't you come in?" asked Imogen.

"We might have some music," said Eliza.

"And there is an orange cake, and I will make coffee," said Susan.

Annie refl