of Leslie who, for once, was
angry against his father and was explaining to his mother:

"I never felt so ashamed of myself. The idea of letting that stranger,
and the proprietor of a rival hotel, pay our cab fare! I wish you'd hand
me the cash and I'll send a boy to hunt him up and settle. I--"

Mrs. Ford stopped his further complaints by a nod of her head and the
odd remark:

"They must have arrived by this time and the others must be gone. Yes,
they ought to be here. I hope they'll not delay us, too, as you did.
Money? No, dear, I can't give you that. Not in this case when your
father has denied it. Ah! Fifteen minutes after three! Then our friends
must be well out of the city by now."

Lady Gray, as her son still loved to call her, now took her eyes from
the clock she had been studying and cast a tender look upon the face of
Dorothy. The girl had sprung up from her chair and had fixed her own
gaze upon the time-piece while the color left her cheeks and she
trembled violently. But Mrs. Ford's arm was about the slender waist and
her voice was comforting:

"Your Aunt Betty thought it was the best. She shrank from the good-bys
for both your sakes. She's a wonderful woman and thinks of everything
that will make people happier. She said she'd just postpone the
farewells till you meet again. She went away as cheerfully as possible
and you must follow her example. Ah! hark!"

Dorothy's bent head lifted slightly. There was a sound of merry,
youthful voices in the corridor, the genial tones of Mr. Ford mingling
with them, and presently the portieres were parted and the opening was
filled by a group of faces matching the voices and belonging to--Could
it be? Could it!

"Molly Breckenridge! Helena! Oh! Oh! Jim--you dears!" cried the
astonished Dolly, rubbing her eyes that had been so dimmed by tears, and
gazing at the faces in the doorway as if she couldn't believe her own
sight.

There, too, was Alfaretta, clasping the hands of all the newcomers,
fairly dancing up and down in her excitement, "hail-fellow-well-met"
with them all, forgetful for once of the difference in their social
positions which had used to make her shy and restrained.

"Be I awake or asleep? How in my senses have you all got away out here
to this jumpin' off place of all creation? Jim Barlow, you darlin' old
Jim! How's Ma Babcock? How's Pa? How's every single one the precious
folks up-mounting? Oh! I could just squeeze the life out of you, I'm so