meless and helped provide for them. The
Bordens were not rough or heartless. Bridget had spoken well of them.
The child had a comfortable home, and she was bound in honor. It would
be mean to entice her to break the bargain, to make her dissatisfied.
No, she must not do that.

Miss Armitage's life lines had run along smoothly through girlhood.
Her mother was a widow and they had a comfortable income. Hilda had a
good voice and sang in church, gave some music lessons. There had been
a lover and a dear friend and the old tragedy had occurred, that might
have been more heartbreaking if her mother had not been taken ill. For
days her recovery was doubtful. Then an uncle at Los Angeles besought
her to come out to that genial clime and spend her remaining days with
him, for now he was quite alone.

Hilda made all preparations. Such of the furniture as had intrinsic
value was to be stored with a friend, the rest sold. And then Mrs.
Armitage had an unlooked for relapse and Hilda went out alone.

Her uncle was a kindly man past middle life and he took an instant
fancy to Hilda. The house and its surroundings were loveliness
itself. Life here would be really enchanting. It was such a beautiful
world.

"But you have not seen half of it yet. Hilda, what would you say to
going abroad? I've wanted to half my life. But my wife, as you have
heard, was an invalid and not inclined to travel. We lost our two
children. I'm not too old to start out now and view some things with
the eyes of an enthusiastic young girl."

So abroad they went. She had seven years of the richness of the old
world, learning languages, listening to music that stirred every pulse
of her soul, haunting art galleries with loving companionship that
somehow saw the best and most beautiful in everything if it was not
always high art.

And then she returned alone. It seemed more of a loss than the death
of her mother. She remained awhile in California settling up some
business and then the longing seized her to return to the home of her
youth, to have a real home where she could make the center she was
still dreaming of, surround herself with friends and do something
worth while with her money.

Newton had changed as well, enlarged its boundaries and made itself
beautiful at the northern end. The shops and factories were kept down
by the railroad center where two important lines crossed, and the
river was navigable. Then Main Street was devoted to really fine
s