ill never be the same again; it ruins it to cut it." He stopped
abruptly. "I guess I had better get out of the way," he said, presently.
"I can't answer for my temper. Come, Bob."

And he walked down across the grass and went off into the woods.

Edith, left alone, began to cry. She would not have had this happen for
the world. Again she said to herself, why had the Gordons ever come
there to disturb their peace of mind in so many ways? And where were the
children? They should be severely punished.

She looked for them all over the house, but of course they were not to
be found. After a long time she saw them coming slowly homeward. They
were wet and bedraggled, for the stones had been as obdurate as Bob and
refused to move. Willy had tumbled into the brook, and Janet had
followed, in a vain attempt to help him out.

And now they were met by an irate sister, who, seizing them roughly,
dragged them upstairs.

"You shall go straight to bed and stay there! You have ruined Neal's
dog, and he'll never get over it. You are bad, naughty children!"

"I think you're silly, Edith!" screamed Janet. "We didn't hurt him, and
we only cooled him off. You're mean to make us go to bed in the middle
of the day, an' you'd orter not drag us this way. Mamma wouldn't."

"I don't care what your mamma would do; it's what I do."

Edith did not realize that a few words spoken calmly but sternly to
Janet and Willy would have more lasting effect than this summary mode of
punishment. The truth was she was too angry to trust her tongue at all,
and this reference to Mrs. Franklin annoyed her. Everything seemed
against her, and the hot weather made things worse.

She ate her dinner in solitude, and then, when the afternoon had worn on
for an hour or two, she at last saw Neal coming across the fields.

Edith went to meet him.

"You want something to eat," she said. "Come in and I'll find you
something. Neal, I am so sorry."

"Oh, don't say anything. What's done can't be undone. Lend me your
shears after dinner and I'll finish things up with a flourish. I can get
him into better shape than he is. He looks like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
just now. I'm as hungry as a hunter, so I don't mind accepting your
offer of a bite."

Edith went off to find something, and as she prepared a dainty meal for
the boy, she thought to herself that he set her a good example. She knew
what pride he had taken in Bob's appearance, and she knew how angry he
had bee