of making Mrs.
Peniston shrink back apprehensively.

"Really, Lily, you are old enough to manage your own affairs, and after
frightening me to death by your performance of last night you might at
least choose a better time to worry me with such matters." Mrs. Peniston
glanced at the clock, and swallowed a tablet of digitalis. "If you owe
Celeste another thousand, she may send me her account," she added, as
though to end the discussion at any cost.

"I am very sorry, Aunt Julia; I hate to trouble you at such a time; but I
have really no choice--I ought to have spoken sooner--I owe a great deal
more than a thousand dollars."

"A great deal more? Do you owe two? She must have robbed you!"

"I told you it was not only Celeste. I--there are other bills--more
pressing--that must be settled."

"What on earth have you been buying? Jewelry? You must have gone off your
head," said Mrs. Peniston with asperity. "But if you have run into debt,
you must suffer the consequences, and put aside your monthly income till
your bills are paid. If you stay quietly here until next spring, instead
of racing about all over the country, you will have no expenses at all,
and surely in four or five months you can settle the rest of your bills
if I pay the dress-maker now."

Lily was again silent. She knew she could not hope to extract even a
thousand dollars from Mrs. Peniston on the mere plea of paying Celeste's
bill: Mrs. Peniston would expect to go over the dress-maker's account,
and would make out the cheque to her and not to Lily. And yet the money
must be obtained before the day was over!

"The debts I speak of are--different--not like tradesmen's bills," she
began confusedly; but Mrs. Peniston's look made her almost afraid to
continue. Could it be that her aunt suspected anything? The idea
precipitated Lily's avowal.

"The fact is, I've played cards a good deal--bridge; the women all do it;
girls too--it's expected. Sometimes I've won--won a good deal--but lately
I've been unlucky--and of course such debts can't be paid off
gradually----"

She paused: Mrs. Peniston's face seemed to be petrifying as she listened.

"Cards--you've played cards for money? It's true, then: when I was told
so I wouldn't believe it. I won't ask if the other horrors I was told
were true too; I've heard enough for the state of my nerves. When I think
of the example you've had in this house! But I suppose it's your foreign
bringing-up--no one knew where y