h a boy's bluntness, he
described her physical condition, exaggerating, perhaps, its worst
features, for these had made a deep impression on him. "Oh, I'm so sorry
for her! and she has a daughter!" said Mrs. Lumsden softly. "I will call
on them as soon as possible. And then if poor Margaret is unable to
return the visit, the daughter will come. And you must be here, Nan;
Gabriel will fetch you. And you, Gabriel--for once you must be polite
and agreeable. Candace shall brush up your best suit, and if it is to be
mended, I will mend it."

Nan and Gabriel laughed at this. Both knew that this famous best suit
would not reach to the lad's ankles, and that the sleeves of the coat
would end a little way below the elbow.

"I can't imagine what you are laughing at," said Mrs. Lumsden, with a
faint smile. "I am sure the suit is a very respectable one, especially
when you have none better."

"No, Grandmother Lumsden; Gabriel will have to take his tea in the
kitchen with Aunt Candace."

However, the affair never came off. The dear old lady, in whom the
social instinct was so strong, had no opportunity to send the invitation
until long afterward. Nan was compelled to beg very hard for the story
of Margaret Gaither. It was never the habit of Gabriel's grandmother to
indulge in idle gossip; she could always find some excuse for the faults
of those who were unfortunate; but Nan had the art of persuasion at her
tongue's end. Whether it was this fact or the fact that Mrs. Lumsden
believed that the story carried a moral that Nan would do well to
digest, it would be impossible to say. At any rate, the youngsters soon
had their desire. The story will hardly bear retelling; it can be
compressed into a dozen lines, and be made as uninteresting as a
newspaper paragraph; but, as told by Gabriel's grandmother, it had the
charm which sympathy and pity never fail to impart to a narrative. When
it came to an end, Nan was almost in tears, though she could never tell
why.

"It happened, Nan, before you and Gabriel were born," said Mrs. Lumsden.
"Margaret Gaither was one of the most beautiful girls I have ever seen,
and at that time Pulaski Tomlin was one of the handsomest young men in
all this region. Naturally these two were drawn together. They were in
love with each other from the first, and, finally, a day was set for the
wedding. They were to have been married in November, but one night in
October, the Tomlin Place was found to be on fire.