rned to Wanning. "You see, Annie
ain't the sort of girl that would want to be spotted circulating
around with a monied party her folks didn't know all about. She'd
lose friends by it."

After this conversation Annie felt a great deal happier. She was
still shy and a trifle awkward with poor Wanning when they were
outside the office building, and she missed the old freedom of her
Saturday afternoons. But she did the best she could, and Willy Steen
tried to make it up to her.

In Annie's absence he often came in of an afternoon to have a cup of
tea and a sugar-bun with Mrs. Wooley and the daughter who was
"resting." As they sat at the dining-room table, they discussed
Annie's employer, his peculiarities, his health, and what he had
told Mrs. Wooley about his will.

Mrs. Wooley said she sometimes felt afraid he might disinherit his
children, as rich people often did, and make talk; but she hoped for
the best. Whatever came to Annie, she prayed it might not be in the
form of taxable property.

IV

Late in September Wanning grew suddenly worse. His family hurried
home, and he was put to bed in his house in Orange. He kept asking
the doctors when he could get back to the office, but he lived only
eight days.

The morning after his father's funeral, Harold went to the office to
consult Wanning's partners and to read the will. Everything in the
will was as it should be. There were no surprises except a codicil
in the form of a letter to Mrs. Wanning, dated July 8th, requesting
that out of the estate she should pay the sum of one thousand
dollars to his stenographer, Annie Wooley, "in recognition of her
faithful services."

"I thought Miss Doane was my father's stenographer," Harold
exclaimed.

Alec McQuiston looked embarrassed and spoke in a low, guarded tone.

"She was, for years. But this spring,--" he hesitated.

McQuiston loved a scandal. He leaned across his desk toward Harold.

"This spring your father put this little girl, Miss Wooley, a
copyist, utterly inexperienced, in Miss Doane's place. Miss Doane
was indignant and left us. The change made comment here in the
office. It was slightly--No, I will be frank with you, Harold, it
was very irregular."

Harold also looked grave. "What could my father have meant by such a
request as this to my mother?"

The silver haired senior partner flushed and spoke as if he were
trying to break something gently.

"I don't understand it, my boy. But I think, indeed