quarrels and making up ever
since they were tiny girls--but today even Polly's society had failed to
offer her any consolation, until at last Polly had gone back home to
rest for an hour or two before dressing for their journey into Berlin.

And Mrs. Ashton had insisted upon Betty's doing the same thing. The girl
could not make up her mind to stay shut up in the house, for although it
was early October, the day was delightfully warm, so she lay down in a
steamer chair under a tree in the yard, and covering herself with a
light-blue shawl, fell at once into her former train of thought.

For in some way it was not just this thought of Esther's concert alone
that had so filled her mind, but the idea that this concert in a measure
was to be a turning point in their lives. Soon after it was over Polly
and Miss Adams intended returning to America and Dick Ashton was to go
with them. For not long after his talk with Esther on the train he had
also discussed the same matter with his mother, and though she and Betty
were both deeply grieved over giving him up, it was plain enough to them
that Dick's future now lay in the United States. There he must make his
reputation and establish himself in his profession. Nevertheless Betty
could not now leave Esther to fight her battles alone, and just as
surely Mrs. Ashton must remain with Betty. So Dick was to begin his
struggle without his family. He had received a fine opening with a
prominent physician in Boston, an old friend of his father's who had
always known of his devotion and success in his chosen work, so that
except for his loneliness there was no special reason for troubling
about his immediate future. Notwithstanding, Betty was troubled. For
Dick was not in the least like himself, had not been all summer, and now
was becoming more and more solemn and stern as the time of his
leave-taking approached. Of course she had always remembered him as more
serious than most other young men; yet he had never before been morose
or unhappy. All their lives had they not been having wonderfully good
times together? And now--well, for one thing, Betty knew perfectly that
her brother was feeling uneasy over her friendship with Lieutenant von
Reuter and had not hesitated in telling her so, expressing his own
disapproval of any further intimacy between them. And assuredly she had
failed in giving him any satisfaction in return. For Betty had made no
clearer revelation of her feeling toward th