or a brute. On the contrary
he had made himself believe that he was acting only for the good of both
mother and child; but the sight of Katy touched him, and he might have
given up the contest had not Helen unfortunately taken up the cudgels in
Katy's defense, neglecting to conceal the weapons, and so defeating her
purpose. It was at the dinner from which Katy was absent that she
ventured to speak, not asking that the plan be given up, but speaking of
it as an unnatural one which seemed to her not only useless but cruel.

Wilford did not tell her that her opinion was not desired, but his
manner implied as much, and Helen felt the angry blood prickling through
her veins as she listened to his reply, that it was neither unnatural
nor cruel, that many people did it, and his would not be an isolated
case.

"Then if it must be," Helen said, "pray let it go to Silverton, and I
will be its nurse. Katy will not object to that."

In a very ironical tone Wilford thanked her for her offer, which he
begged leave to decline, intimating a preference for settling his own
matters according to his own ideas. Helen knew that further argument was
useless, and but for Katy, wished herself at home, where there were no
wills like this with which she had unwittingly come in contact, and
which, ignoring Katy's tears and Katy's pleading face, would not retract
one iota, or even stoop to reason with the suffering mother, except to
reiterate, "It is only for your good, and every one with common sense
will say so."

Next morning Helen was surprised at Katy's proposition to drive around
to Fourth Street, and call on Marian, whom they had not seen for several
days.

"I am always better after talking with her," Katy said, "And I have a
strong presentiment that she can do me good."

"Shall you tell her?" Helen asked in some surprise; and Katy replied,
"perhaps I may. I'll see."

An hour later, and Katy, up in Marian's room, sat with her hands clasped
together upon the table, listening intently while Marian spoke of a
letter received a few days since from an old friend who had worked with
her at Madam ----'s, and to whom she had been strongly attached, keeping
up a correspondence with her after her marriage and removal to New
London, in Connecticut; and whose little child, born two months before
Katy's, was dead, and the mother, finding her home so desolate, had
written, beseeching Marian to come to her for the remainder of the
winter, adding