firmly.

Mrs. Gerhardt made no sign, but her very immobility told something.
Jennie went over to her and quickly discovered that she had been
weeping.

"What's the matter?" she repeated wonderingly, gazing at her
father.

Gerhardt only stood there, his daughter's innocence dominating his
terror of evil.

"What's the matter?" she urged softly of her mother.

"Oh, it's the neighbors," returned the mother brokenly.

"They're always ready to talk about something they don't know
anything about."

"Is it me again?" inquired Jennie, her face flushing faintly.

"You see," observed Gerhardt, apparently addressing the world in
general, "she knows. Now, why didn't you tell me that he was coming
here? The neighbors talk, and I hear nothing about it until to-day.
What kind of a way is that, anyhow?"

"Oh," exclaimed Jennie, out of the purest sympathy for her mother,
"what difference does it make?"

"What difference?" cried Gerhardt, still talking in German,
although Jennie answered in English. "Is it no difference that men
stop me on the street and speak of it? You should be ashamed of
yourself to say that. I always thought well of this man, but now,
since you don't tell me about him, and the neighbors talk, I don't
know what to think. Must I get my knowledge of what is going on in my
own home from my neighbors?"

Mother and daughter paused. Jennie had already begun to think that
their error was serious.

"I didn't keep anything from you because it was evil," she said.
"Why, he only took me out riding once."

"Yes, but you didn't tell me that," answered her father.

"You know you don't like for me to go out after dark," replied
Jennie. "That's why I didn't. There wasn't anything else to hide about
it."

"He shouldn't want you to go out after dark with him," observed
Gerhardt, always mindful of the world outside. "What can he want with
you. Why does he come here? He is too old, anyhow. I don't think you
ought to have anything to do with him--such a young girl as you
are."

"He doesn't want to do anything except help me," murmured Jennie.
"He wants to marry me."

"Marry you? Ha! Why doesn't he tell me that!" exclaimed Gerhardt.
"I shall look into this. I won't have him running around with my
daughter, and the neighbors talking. Besides, he is too old. I shall
tell him that. He ought to know better than to put a girl where she
gets talked about. It is better he should stay away altogether."

This threat of G