an early dinner, and then we can go for a
drive afterwards."

"Eddy can go, too," said Mrs. Carroll, quite joyously.

"No, Amy," said Carroll, "he will most certainly not go to drive with
us. There are times when you girls must leave the boy to me, and this
is one of them." He stopped and kissed his wife's appealing face, and
went out. Then the carriage rolled swiftly round the curve of drive.

"He will whip him," said Anna to Mrs. Carroll, who looked at her with
a certain defiance.

"Well," said she, "if he does, I suppose it will be for his good. A
man, of course, knows how to manage a boy better than a woman,
because he has been a boy himself. You know you and I never were
boys, Anna."

"I know that, Amy," said Anna, quite seriously, "and I am willing to
admit that a man may know better how to deal with a boy than a woman
does, but I must confess that when I think of Arthur punishing Eddy
for the faults he may have--"

"May have what?" demanded Mrs. Carroll, quite sharply for her.

"May have inherited from Arthur," declared Anna, boldly, with soft
eyes of challenge upon her sister-in-law.

"Eddy has no faults worth mentioning," responded Mrs. Carroll,
seeming to enlarge with a sort of fluffy fury like an angry bird;
"and the idea of your saying he inherits them from his father. You
know as well as I do, Anna, what Arthur is."

"I knew Arthur before you ever did," said Anna, apologetically.
"Don't get excited, dear."

"I am not excited, but I do wonder at your speaking after such a
fashion when we don't know what may have happened to the dear boy. Of
course Arthur will not punish him if he is shot or anything."

"Of course not."

"And if he is not shot, and Arthur should punish him, of course it
will be all right."

"Yes, I suppose it will, Amy," said Anna Carroll.

"Arthur feels so sure that nothing has happened to him that I begin
to think so myself," said Mrs. Carroll, beginning to ascend the
stairs with a languid grace.

"Yes, he has encouraged me," assented Anna. "I suppose we had better
dress now."

"Yes, if we are going to drive directly after dinner. I'll put on my
cream foulard, it is so warm. I suppose we have, perhaps, worried a
little more than was necessary."

"I dare say," said Anna, trailing her white frills and laces before
her sister the length of the upper hall. "I think I'll wear my blue
embroidered linen."

"You said the bill for that came yesterday?"

"No, six weeks ago;