awl
around her, and sought to soothe her grief by saying gently, "There,
there, honey, don't cry like that! You are shaking with cold. How long
have you been in the closet, and why were you hiding there?"

"I heard you come in and I _had_ to see what was the matter. Oh, do say
I won't have to go to the Judge or Mr. Hardman! I hate them both--"

"Peace," reproved Gail, "you mustn't speak so. I am sorry you have
overheard anything about the matter. Mr. Hartman had a perfect right to
sell the mortgage to Mr. Skinner, and under the circumstances we can't
blame him. He wouldn't have done it if he could have helped it."

"What I can't understand," interposed Faith, with a deep frown
disfiguring her forehead, "is why he waited this long before telling
us."

"I guess he didn't relish breaking such news to us anyway, but he has
been hoping right along that Mr. Lowe would be able to pay him for the
note. Then he could buy back the mortgage, or loan us the money so we
could meet it, which amounts to the same thing. Of course, it is barely
possible that he will yet get the money in time, but we can't count on
it at all. He was so broken up over the matter that he actually cried
while he was talking to me."

"I sh'd think he would!" stormed Peace, who could not yet understand how
their neighbor had any excuse for selling the mortgage; neither did she
understand just what sort of a thing a mortgage is, but that it had
something to do with money and their farm was perfectly clear.

"Isn't there someone we know who could loan us the money?" asked Hope,
the hopeful, unwilling to accept the dark situation as it was presented.

"I can't think of a soul. Most of father's close friends were ministers,
and they wouldn't be able to help us. We have no relatives living. We
haven't anybody--"

"We have each other," whispered Hope; and Gail's clasp on the little
form in her lap tightened convulsively as she wondered vaguely how much
longer they could say those words.

"We have Mr. Strong, too," reminded Peace. "Maybe he knows how the money
could be paid."

"I had thought of asking his advice, but of course it was too stormy
tonight. We must wait until day."

"If he can't help us, ask him if he won't take me," said Peace, in her
most wheedlesome tones. "I would rather live with him than with anyone
else in the world if we have to break up our house. I thought he would
like to have me, too, but Mr. Jones said he wanted Allee."

"Mr.