ht years old. It is time I
got acquainted with some of my relations. I've had other work
to do in the world heretofore (at least I thought I had), and
so, I believe, have they. But I have a wish now to get you and
your sister to come and live nearer to me, that we may find out
whether we really are anything to each other or not. It seems
natural, I suppose, that we might be; but kinship doesn't all
run in the veins.

"I do not ask you to do this with reference to any possible
intentions of mine that might concern you after my death; my
wish is to do what is right by you, in return for your
consenting to my pleasure in the matter, while I am alive. It
will cost you more to live in Boston than where you do now, and
I have no business to expect you to break up and come to a new
home unless I can make it an object to you in some way. You can
do some things for your children here that you could not do in
Homesworth. I will give you two thousand dollars a year to live
on, and secure the same to you if I die. I have a house here in
Aspen Street, not far from where I live myself, which I will
give to either of you that it may suit. That you can settle
between you when you come. It is rather a large house, and Mrs.
Ledwith's family is larger, I think, than yours. The estate is
worth ten thousand dollars, and I will give the same sum to the
one who prefers, to put into a house elsewhere. I wish you to
reckon this as all you are ever to expect from me, except the
regard I am willing to believe I may come to have for you. I
shall look to hear from you by the end of the week.

"I remain, yours truly,

"TITUS OLDWAYS."

"Luclarion!" cried Mrs. Ripwinkley, with excitement, "come here and
help me think!"

"Only four days to make my mind up in," she said again, when
Luclarion had read the letter through.

Luclarion folded it and gave it back.

"It won't take God four days to think," she answered quietly; "and
you can ask _Him_ in four minutes. You and I can talk afterwards."
And Luclarion got up and went away a second time into the kitchen.

That night, after Diana and Hazel were gone to bed, their mother and
Luclarion Grapp had some last words about it, sitting by the
white-scoured kitchen table, where Luclarion had just done mixing
bread and covered it a