' aroun' wi' them highfalutin' gals downtown. They look like
they know too much. All they talk about is boys, boys, boys, from
mornin' till night; an' I noticed when they was spendin' a part of the'r
time here that you was just as bad. It was six of one an' twice three of
the rest. Now you know that ain't a sign of good health for gals to be
eternally talkin' about boys, 'specially sech ganglin', lop-sided
creeturs as we've got aroun' here."

"Where's Johnny?" asked Nan, who evidently had no notion of getting in a
controversy with Mrs. Absalom on the subject of boys. "Johnny" was her
name for her step-mother, whose surname of Dion had been changed to
"Johns" the day after she arrived at Shady Dale. The story of little
Miss Johns has been told in another place and all that is necessary to
add to the record is the fact that she had managed to endear herself to
the critical, officious, and somewhat jealous Mrs. Absalom. Mrs.
Dorrington had the tact and the charm of the best of her race. She was
Nan's dearest friend and only confidante, and though she was not many
years the girl's senior, she had an influence over her that saved Nan
from many a bad quarter of an hour.

Mrs. Dorrington was in her own room when Nan found her, sewing and
singing softly to herself, the picture of happiness and content. Nan
dropped on her knees beside her chair, and threw her arms impulsively
around the little woman's neck.

"Tell me ever what it is, Nan, before you smother-cate me," said Mrs.
Dorrington, smoothing the girl's hair. The two had a language of their
own, which the elder had learned from the younger.

"It is the most miserable misery, Johnny. Do you remember what I told
you about those people?"

"How could I forget, Nan?"

"Well, those people are going head foremost into trouble, and whatever
happens, I want to be there."

"Oh, is that so? Well, it is too bad," said the little woman
sympathetically. "Perhaps if you would say something about it--not too
much, but just enough for me to get it through my thick numskull----"

Whereupon Nan told of all the fears by which she was beset, and of all
the troubles that racked her mind, and the two had quite a consultation.

"You are not afraid for yourself; why should you be afraid for those
people?" inquired Mrs. Dorrington, laying great stress on "those
people," the name that Gabriel went by when Nan and Johnny were
referring to him.

"Oh, I don't know," replied Nan, helplessly.