sely,
cowardly selfish."

He meant to stand squarely before this woman. He would not soil his
act by any hypocrisy. But she only smiled back at him unbelieving.

He glanced at his watch. It was eight o'clock. He was ready now to
return to the hotel. He wished to leave at once, for he shrank from
the undeserved gratitude he saw welling up in her eyes.

"You must listen carefully to what I tell you," he said, "for I may not
be able to see you again before you leave. Do you think you can get
ready without any help?"

"Yes," she answered excitedly; "there is n't much here to pack up."

"If I were you I would n't pack up anything but what I could put in a
trunk. Sell off these things for what you can get and start fresh.
I'll send you enough to furnish the house."

"I ought to do that much myself," she objected feebly.

"No, I want to do this thing right up chuck. As soon as I reach the
hotel I will telephone the Deacon. If I can't buy that house, I 'll
get another, and in either case, I will drop you a note to-night. I
'll arrange to have the deed left with some one up there, and I 'll
also deposit in the local bank enough for the other things. So all you
've to do is to get ready and start on Tuesday. Do you understand?"

"Yes! Yes!" she gasped. "But it doesn't sound true--it sounds like a
dream."

"Are you going to have faith enough to act on it?"

"Oh, I did n't mean that I doubted! I trust you, Peter Donaldson."

He reached in his pocket and took out five ten-dollar bills.

"This is for your fare and to settle up any little accounts you may
have."

She took the money with trembling fingers while Bobby and Sis crowded
around to gape at it.

"There," exclaimed Donaldson in relief. "Now you 're all fixed up, and
on Monday morning Bobby can throw up his job. He can fire the company."

"Gee!" he gasped.

And almost before any of them could catch their breath he had kissed
the baby, gripped Mrs. Wentworth's hand a second, and with a "S'long"
to the others disappeared as though, Sis declared, a magician had waved
his wand over him.

It was after nine before he finally reached the Waldorf. No message
was waiting for him from either the girl or Saul. He hunted up the
telephone operator at once.

"Call up Berringdon, Vermont, for me, please."

"With whom do you wish to talk?"

"With Deacon Staples."

He smiled as he saw the hands of the clock pointing to nine-thirty. It
was long aft