to see the little farm and the
curious little house of Dent Meredith's bride elect--a girl called
Pansy Something. It lies near enough to the turnpike to be in full
view--too full view. They say it is like a poultry farm and that
the bride is a kind of American goose girl: it will be a marriage
between geology and the geese. The geese will have the best of it.

"Dearest friend, what shall I tell you of my own life--of my
nights, of the mornings when I wake, of these long, lonesome,
summer afternoons? Nothing, nothing, nothing, nothing! I should
rather write to you how, my thoughts go back to the years of our
girlhood together when we were so happy, Isabel, so happy, so
happy! What ideals we formed as to our marriages and our futures!

"KATE.

"P.S.--I meant to tell you that of course I shall do everything in
my power to break up the old friendship between George and Rowan.
Indeed, I have already done it."

VI

This letter brought Isabel home at once through three days of
continuous travel. From the station she had herself driven
straight to Mrs. Osborn's house, and she held the letter in her
hand as she went.

Her visit lasted for some time and it was not pleasant. When Mrs.
Osborn hastened down, surprised at Isabel's return and prepared to
greet her with the old warmth, her greeting was repelled and she
herself recoiled, hurt and disposed to demand an explanation.

"Isabel," she said reproachfully, "is this the way you come back to
me?"

Isabel did not heed but spoke: "As soon as I received this letter,
I determined to come home. I wished to know at once what these
things are that are being said about Rowan. What are they?"

Mrs. Osborn hesitated: "I should rather not tell you."

"But you must tell me: my name has been brought into this, and I
must know."

While she listened her eyes flashed and when she spoke her voice
trembled with excitement and anger. "These things are not true,"
she said. "Only Rowan and I know what passed between us. I told
no one, he told no one, and it is no one's right to know. A great
wrong has been done him and a great wrong has been done me; and I
shall stay here until these wrongs are righted."

"And is it your feeling that you must begin with me?" said Mrs.
Osborn, bitterly.

"Yes, Kate; you should not have believed these things. You
remember our once saying to each other that we would try never to
believe slander or speak slander or think slander?