tle at
the young fellow's tone of insolence. "She is in college and very
busy, but has been unusually busy since you have been here because she
is caring for a little child whose mother has been very ill."

"Oh!--You mean she's a sort of sehvant?"--He drawled the question most
offensively, and Julia Cloud had a sudden ridiculous impulse to seize
his sleek shoulder and shake him. Instead she only smiled and quoted a
Bible verse: "I have seen servants upon horses, and princes walking as
servants upon the earth."

Clive eyed her with a puzzled expression:

"I don't getcha!" he answered finally, but Julia Cloud made no further
comment than to pass him a second cup of coffee. She could hear the
soft excited whispers still going on in the living-room and she
longed to fly in there and leave this ill-bred guest to his own
devices, for she knew something must have happened to trouble her
children, and that if this intruder were not present she would be at
once taken into their confidence. Still she had to sit and smile and
keep him from hearing them.

Leslie was talking more softly now, with cautious looks toward the
dining-room.

"Jane had finished her exam. and hurried down because she thought
there would be a lot of business and she wanted Emily Reeder to be put
in treasurer and was trying to work it, and hadn't an idea Alice and I
were working it to put _her_ in. We didn't think she would get there
and meant to have it all finished before she came, but someone turned
around and gave a queer little cough just as Eunice finished her nasty
speech, and we all turned quickly and there in the open door stood
Jane, as white as a sheet, with her great, big blue eyes looking black
as coals and such suffering I never saw in a human face--and she just
stood and looked at them all, a hurt, loving, searching look, as if
she was reading their souls, and no one spoke nor moved, only Eunice,
who got very red, and Eugenia, who straightened up and got haughty and
hateful, looking as if she was glad Jane heard it all. She had a kind
of glitter in her eyes, like triumph--and it was very still for a
whole minute, and then Jane put out her hands in a little, quick,
pleading motion and turned away quickly and was gone----"

"And what did you do?" Allison's tone had hope, threat, condemnation
and praise all held in abeyance on her answer.

Leslie drew herself up eagerly, her eyes shining.

"I----? Oh--I wanted to run after her and comfor