vexatiously. "And Ted worrying your father to
death about that scamp, too! I declare it's too much!"

"He's a pretty rich scamp, and a pretty attractive scamp," Barbara said
in defence of Theodora's choice. "He's not like that _kid_ of a Keith!"

Julia heard the garden gate slam, and a quick, springing step on the
porch before the others did, but it was Jane who said, "Here's Jim!" and
Barbara who went to let him in.

"Oh, Jimmy, have you heard of Sally?" she faltered, and as they came in
from the hall Julia's quick eye saw that she was half clinging to his
shoulder, sister fashion, and that his arm was half about her.

"Hello, every one!" said his big, reassuring voice. "How's Mother?
Hello, Aunt Sanna--and Miss Page, too! Well, this is fun, isn't it? Yes,
Miss Babbie, I've heard of Sally, Sally Borroughs, as she is now--"

"What! Married?" said every one at once, and Mrs. Toland, making an
impressive entrance with Richie, sank into a deep chair and echoed:
"Married?"

"Married, Mother dear," said Jim. "They found me in Dad's office at five
o'clock; Keith's father, a fierce sort of man, was with them, and was
for calling the whole thing off. Sally was crying, poor girl, and Keith
miserable--"

"Oh, poor old Sally!" said Barbara's tender voice.

"You should have brought her straight home to me!" Mrs. Toland added
severely.

"Well, so I thought at first. But they had their license, which would be
in the morning papers anyway, and Sally had done the fool thing of
mailing letters to two girl friends when she left here this morning--"

"She left me a mere scribble, pinned to her pin-cushion," said her
mother, magnificently. "Just as any common actress--"

"Oh, Mother! it wasn't pinned to her cushion at all!" Barbara protested.
"She had no pincushion, she has a pin tray."

"I hardly see how it matters, Babbie; it was on her bureau, anyway! Just
like a servant girl!" Mrs. Toland persisted.

"Well, anyway, it seemed best to push it right through," said Jim,
"especially as they persisted that they would do it again or die--or
rather, Sally did!"

"Oh, Jim, _don't_!" wailed Sally's mother. "Poor, deluded child!"

"I don't mean that Keith wasn't fiery enough," Jim hastened to say.
"He's a decent enough little fellow, and he's madly in love. So we all
went up to the French church, and Father Marchand married them--"

"A child of mine!" said Mrs. Toland, stricken.

"Keith's father and I witnessed," pursued Jim,