her of us be afraid of the dark again."

"I 'm not afraid now."

"Nor I," he smiled.

The voice of Arsdale came to them,

"Oh, Elaine! Oh, Donaldson!"

She led the way into the house with a lighter step and Arsdale met them
with a beaming face which covered a broad grin.

"I suppose you two can do without food," he exclaimed, "but I can't.
Breakfast has been waiting ten minutes."

"It's my fault," apologized Donaldson.

"You can't see stars in the morning, can you?" chuckled Arsdale.

"Maybe," answered Donaldson.

Elaine checked the boy's further comments with a frightened pressure as
she took his arm and passed into the white and green breakfast room.

There stood the table by the big warm window again, and as she took her
place it seemed as though they were stepping into the same picture
framed by the hedge. She caught Donaldson's eye with a little smile
and saw that he understood.

Arsdale broke in with renewed enthusiasm for his philanthropic project
and outlined his ambitions to Elaine.

"You see," he concluded, "some day, little sister, you may see the law
sign 'Donaldson & Arsdale, Counsellors at Law.' Not a bad sounding
firm name, eh?"

"I think it is great--just great, Ben!" she exclaimed enthusiastically.
"It's almost worth being a man to make your life count for something
like that."

"I want you to make out a list of books for me to get and I 'll go
down-town this afternoon. I suppose you 've a pretty good law library
yourself?"

"I had the beginning of one. I sold it."

"What did you do that for?"

"My practice was n't big enough to support it. But you--you 'll not be
bothered with lack of clients."

With school-boy eagerness Arsdale was anxious to plunge into the scheme
at once.

"And say," he ran on, "I 'm going to look up some offices. I 'll stake
the firm to some good imposing rooms in one of the big law buildings.
Nothing like looking prosperous at the start. Guess I 'll drop
down-town right after breakfast and see what can be had."

Donaldson didn't have the heart to check him. Later on he would write
him a letter sustaining him in his project and recommending him to a
classmate of his, to whom this partnership would be a godsend, as, a
week ago, it would have been to himself. That was the best he could
think of at the moment and so he let him rattle on.

As soon as they had finished breakfast Arsdale was off.

"I 'll leave you two to hunt out new stars as long