s. What were you going
to say, Mrs. Black?"

The lady addressed looked as if she would like to say several things,
particularly to her husband, who was grinning maliciously. But what she
did was to smile, a smile of gracious sweetness, and agree that Scarford
was beautiful.

"And so is the place, my dear Mrs. Dott," she added. "A very charming,
quaint old house. But--you'll excuse my saying so, won't you; you know
Phelps and I have had some experience in keeping up a city estate--don't
you think it might prove rather expensive for you to maintain?"

Serena's armor was not even dented. "Oh," she said, lightly, "that
wouldn't trouble us, I'm sure. Really, we've hardly thought of the
expense. The Scarford place wasn't ALL that Aunt Lavinia left us, Mrs.
Black."

"Indeed!" rather feebly, "wasn't it?"

"My goodness, no! But there! I mustn't talk about ourselves and our
affairs any more. Have you seen the lodge rooms to-day? I must find time
to run down there this afternoon for a last look around. I want this
open meeting to go off nicely. Who knows--well, I may not have the care
of the next one."

Azuba appeared in the doorway.

"The minister and his wife's comin'," she announced.

Mrs. Dott turned.

"The minister and his wife?" she repeated. "The bell hasn't rung, has
it? How do you know they're coming here?"

"See 'em through the window," replied Azuba, cheerfully. "They was at
the gate quite a spell. She was gettin' her hat straight, and he was
helpin' her. Here they be," as the callers' footsteps sounded on the
porch. "Shall I let 'em in?"

"Let them in! Why, of course! Why shouldn't you let them in?"

"Well, I didn't know. The way the cap'n was talkin' when you was havin'
dinner, I thought--oh, that reminds me," addressing the horror stricken
Daniel, "Sam was in just now and wanted you to come right out to the
store. Ezra Taylor's there and he wants another pair of them checkered
overalls, same as he had afore."

That evening when, having closed the Metropolitan Store at an early
hour, the captain and his wife were on their way to the lodge meeting,
Daniel voiced a feeling of perplexity which had disturbed his mind ever
since the Blacks' call.

"Say, Serena," he asked, "ain't you and Barney Black's wife friends any
more?"

"Why, of course we're friends. What a question that is."

"Humph! didn't seem to me you acted much like friends this afternoon.
Slappin' each other back and forth--"

"Slap