me? Lettie
couldn't get letters out, O'mie had said; and in the face of what she
had written, she had still refused to see me, had shown how
jealous-hearted and narrow-minded she could be. What could I do but
leave town? So ran the little girl's sad thoughts; and then hope had its
way again, for hers was always a sunny spirit.

"I can only wait and see what will come. Phil is proud and strong, and
everybody loves him. He will make new friends and forget me."

And then the words of my letter, "In sunny ways, or shadow-checkered
paths, I cannot think of you other than as I do now. You are life of my
life," she read over and over. And so with shining eyes and a buoyant
step, she went to do her mother's bidding that afternoon.

Judge Baronet had had a hard day. Coupled with unusual business cares
was the story being quietly circulated regarding Judson's engagement. He
had not thought how much his son's happiness could mean to him.

"And yet, I let him go to discipline him. Oh, we are never wise enough
to be fathers. It is only a mother who can understand," and the memory
of the woman glorified to him now, the one love of all his years, came
back to him.

It was in this mood that Mrs. Whately found him.

"Judge Baronet, I've come to get you to help me." She went straight to
her errand as soon as she was seated in the private office. "Marjie will
be here soon, and I want you to counsel her to do what I've promised to
help to bring about. She loves you next to her own father, and you can
have great influence with her."

And then directly and frankly came the whole story of Judson's plan.
Mrs. Whately did not try to keep anything back, not even the effort to
shield my reputation, and she ended with the assurance that it must be
best for everybody for this wedding to take place, and Amos Judson hoped
it might be soon to save Irving's name.

"I've not seen Marjie so happy in weeks as she was last night," she
added. "You know Mr. Tillhurst has been paying her so much attention
this Fall, and so has Clayton Anderson. And Amos has been going to
Conlow's to see Lettie quite frequently lately. I guess maybe that has
helped to bring Marjie around a little, when she found he could go with
others. It's the way with a girl, you know. You'll do what you can to
make Marjie see the right if she seems unwilling to do what I've agreed
she may do. For after all," Mrs. Whately said thoughtfully, "I can't
feel sure she's willing, becaus