being able to record the fulfilment of her
prophecies. "That comes of your father's trying a new business at his
age--and Hoppers' was so sure. He'd have been a department head by now,
if he had stayed."

"I thought the fair concession made a lot of money."

Mrs. Ridge gave her the facts. It seemed that Horatio, always optimistic
and trusting, had put this new venture in the hands of a man who had
talked well, but had cheated him outrageously, and finally absconded
after the close of the Fair, leaving behind debts contracted in the
firm's name. The losses had wiped out all the profits of the concession
and more, and this, added to the general business depression, was bad
enough. But there was worse. Snowden had suddenly demanded his money.
Using the defalcation as an excuse he alleged Horatio's bad management,
and wanted an immediate settlement of the firm's affairs. That meant the
end--bankruptcy, as Mrs. Ridge said. Awful word!

"But it's outrageous of Mr. Snowden!" Milly cried.

"It seems he's that kind. He got ahead of your father in the partnership
agreement, and now the lawyer says he can do anything he likes--sell out
the business if he wants to.... And we've got this house on our hands
for another year," she added sourly, bringing home to Milly her share in
the general misfortune.

Then the little old lady gathered up the breakfast dishes, while Milly
sat and looked at the dreary wall of the next house. It was pretty bad.
Still she could not feel sorry for what she had done....

"I'll see Mr. Snowden myself," she announced at last.

Her grandmother looked at her curiously.

"What good will that do?"

Milly, recollecting the old offence, blushed. Latterly as the
prospective wife of a rich man she had assumed certain airs of her
putative social position, and thought she could "manage" easily a common
sort of person like this Snowden man. Now she realized with a sudden
sinking of spirits it was all different. She possessed no longer any
authority other than that of an attractive, but poor, young woman with
"a good manner."

During the next few days she was destined to feel this change in her
position repeatedly. If the news of her engagement to an "eligible" man
had spread rapidly, the announcement of the disaster to her engagement
seemed miraculously immediate. She had just begun with her grandmother's
help to prepare to return her engagement gifts, as her grandmother
insisted was the proper thing to d