rned his face to
the fire to hide his feeling. "When I'm a man I want to be just like
you--and father."

Isobel would not let herself be persuaded to accept her family's point
of view. In her heart there still rankled the thought that Uncle Johnny
had taken Barbara Lee with him to Highacres and had made _her_ stay at
home. And it had been silly for them all to get so excited and make such
a fuss over Gyp and Jerry--they might have known that they'd turn up all
right. When she had seen Uncle Johnny pull Jerry down to a seat beside
him on the davenport she had hated her!

Mrs. Westley followed John Westley to the little room that was always
called "father's study."

"Won't it be exciting hunting up this Craig Winton?" Gyp asked the
others. "Isn't it an interesting name? Maybe he'll have a lot of
children. I hope there'll be some girls." Gyp hugged her knees in an
ecstasy of anticipation. "If they're dreadfully poor it'll be like their
finding a fairy godmother. Think of all they can have with that money!"

"All _I_ hope"--Isobel's voice rang cruelly clear--"is that Uncle Johnny
won't want to bring any more _charity_ girls here!" She rose, then, and
without looking at any of them, walked from the room.

Gyp opened her lips to speak, then closed them quickly. Whatever she
might say, she knew, instinctively, would only add to the hurt Isobel
had inflicted. She could not even throw her arms around Jerry's neck and
hug her the way she wanted to do, because the expression of Jerry's face
forbade it. It was a very terrible expression, Gyp thought, a little
frightened--Jerry's eyes glowed with such a fierce pride and yet were so
hurt!

After a moment Jerry said slowly, "I--I am going to bed." Gyp wished
that Graham would say something and Graham wished Gyp would say
something, and both sat tongue-tied while Jerry walked out of the room.

"Do you think we ought to tell mother?" Gyp asked, in a hushed voice.

"N-no," Graham hated the thought of tale-bearing. "But Isobel's an awful
snob. It's her going around with Cora Stanton and Amy Mathers." To think
this gave some comfort to Graham and Gyp.

"Well--I don't know what Jerry will _do_," sighed Gyp forlornly.

The door of Jerry's room was shut and Gyp had not the courage to open
it. She listened for a moment outside it--there was not a sound from
within. She went into her own room and undressed slowly, with a vague
uneasiness that something was going to happen.

There h