down to me."

Wondering what he meant to do, Rosemary went up to her room and
returned with the bank. Doctor Hugh dropped it into one of the lower
drawers of his desk and turned the key.

"I want you to bring me a list of the women for whom you have taken
care of children," he said, pushing a block of paper and a pencil
toward Rosemary, "and, as nearly as you can remember, the number of
hours you worked for each. Then we'll count out this money and you
will have to return it. I want that list by to-morrow night."

Winnie sounded the dinner gong just then and Rosemary went silently
to the table. Aunt Trudy's eyes were red from crying and Sarah and
Shirley looked frightened. Their aunt had told them the "awful
thing" Rosemary had been doing and Sarah was in terror lest Hugh
already knew her part in it. But dinner, uncomfortable meal as it
was, reassured Sarah. Hugh would not have allowed her to leave the
table without a word if he had known about the ring.

Rosemary went to her room directly after dinner and Sarah and
Shirley followed.

"Was he mad?" asked Shirley, her eyes round with excitement.

"Aunt Trudy was crying and wringing her hands," volunteered Sarah.
"She says the family is disgraced and Hugh will be ashamed to show
his face in Eastshore."

"What a silly thing to say!" cried Rosemary. "Thank goodness, Hugh
is no snob. But he is furious because I can't tell him why I wanted
the money. And, oh, girls, I have to take it all back. How can I
ever buy the ring now, and what will the people say when I bring
back the money they paid me?"

She hurriedly outlined what Doctor Hugh had said, and Sarah
immediately suggested that they get hold of the bank and bury it.

"Hugh would only punish us again," said Rosemary practically. "Let's
tell him about the ring, Sarah. He said he'd help me out of the
scrape, no matter what it was, if I'd tell him."

But Sarah set her chin obstinately and refused to go to her brother.
She reminded Rosemary of her promise and Shirley, too, began to cry
and say that she was afraid of Hugh. So it ended by Rosemary
renewing her promise not to tell and then crying herself to sleep
because she remembered how patient Hugh had been and she knew she
had both hurt and disappointed him.

"And I can't go around and give the money back," she wept, tossing
about on her wet pillow, "What will people think? But Hugh will make
me, if he goes along to see me do it. Oh, dear, the Willis will
ma