to live here with her while David was away! But that was not to
be thought of, of course. By and by she mustered courage to be glad of her
letter, and to read it over once more.

That night she read the letter to Aunt Clarinda and together they
discussed the great inventions, and the changes that were coming to pass
in the land. Aunt Clarinda was just a little beyond her depth in such a
conversation, but Marcia did most of the talking, and the dear old lady
made an excellent listener, with a pat here, and a "Dearie me! Now you
don't say so!" there, and a "Bless the boy! What great things he does
expect. And I hope he won't be disappointed."

That letter lasted them for many a day until another came, this time from
Washington, with many descriptions of public men and public doings, and a
word picture of the place which made it appear much like any other place
after all if it was the capitol of the country. And once there was a
sentence which Marcia treasured. It was, "I wish you could be here and see
everything. You would enjoy it I know."

There came another letter later beginning, "My dear little girl." There
was nothing else in it to make Marcia's heart throb, it was all about his
work, but Marcia carried it many days in her bosom. It gave her a thrill
of delight to think of those words at the beginning. Of course it meant no
more than that he thought of her as a girl, his little sister that was to
have been, but there was a kind of ownership in the words that was sweet
to Marcia's lonely heart. It had come to her that she was always looking
for something that would make her feel that she belonged to David.

CHAPTER XXI

When David had been in New York about three weeks, he happened one day to
pass the house where Kate Leavenworth was living.

Kate was standing listlessly by the window looking into the street. She
was cross and felt a great depression settling over her. The flirtation
with Harry Temple had begun to pall upon her. She wanted new worlds to
conquer. She was restless and feverish. There was not excitement enough in
the life she was living. She would like to meet more people, senators and
statesmen--and to have plenty of money to dress as became her beauty, and
be admired publicly. She half wished for the return of her husband, and
meditated making up with him for the sake of going to Washington to have a
good time in society there. What was the use of running