othing
unpleasant has happened to the child."

"Oh, no, Captain. Quite the contrary. It's something nice," returned
Marjorie quickly. "Let me read you her letter." She turned to the first
page and read aloud rapidly Constance's little note. "I'm so glad for
her sake," she sighed, as she finished, "but I shall miss her
dreadfully."

"I suppose you will. Good fortune seems to have followed the Stevens
family since the day when my lieutenant went out of her way to help a
little girl in distress."

"Perhaps I'm a mascot, Captain. If I am, then you ought to take good
care of me, feed me on a special diet of plum pudding and chocolate
cake, keep me on your best embroidered cushion and cherish me
generally," laughed Marjorie, with a view toward turning the subject
from her own generous acts, the mention of which invariably embarrassed
her.

"And give you indigestion and see you ossify for want of exercise under
my indulgent eye," retorted her mother.

"I guess you had better go on cherishing me in the good old way,"
decided Marjorie. "But you won't mind my sitting on one of your everyday
cushions, just as close to you as I can get, will you?" Reaching for one
of the fat green velvet cushions which stood up sturdily at each end of
the davenport, Marjorie dropped it beside her mother's chair and curled
up on it.

"I've something to report, Captain," she said, her bantering tone
changing to seriousness. "You remember last year--and Mignon La Salle?"

Mrs. Dean frowned slightly at the mention of the French girl's name.
Mother-like, she had never quite forgiven Mignon for the needless sorrow
she had wrought in the lives of those she held so dear.

Marjorie caught the significance of that frown. "I know how you feel
about things, dearest," she nodded. "Perhaps you won't give your consent
to the plan I--that is, we--have made. But I have to tell you, anyway,
so here goes. Mignon La Salle went away to boarding school, but
she--well she was sent home, and now she's back in Sanford High again.
This afternoon Jerry, Irma, Susan, Muriel Harding and I went together to
Sargent's for ice cream. While we were there we decided that we ought to
forgive the past and try to help Mignon find her better self. The only
way we can help her is to treat her well and invite her to our parties
and luncheons. If she finds we are ready to begin all over again with
her, perhaps she'll be different. We made a solemn compact to do it,
provided our