es
that could be merry or soft as her mood was, her hair was wavy and
of a light brown color; she was fair of skin, had rather a large
mouth and not a specially beautiful nose, but she was good to look
upon and the more one looked the more charming one thought her. She
was dressed very simply in a gray traveling gown with no jewelry but
a silver pin fastening her collar. Her face in repose was serious
and Marian could see that she was not one to be trifled with, in
spite of her fun-loving spirit.

"There are many things I want to know," said Miss Dorothy after a
while, "but I will wait till I absolutely have to ask questions."

"If you want to know one thing," returned Marian, "I can tell you.
If you would like me to tell you when grandpa and grandma will be
here I can say in about five minutes." She was looking off down the
street and Miss Dorothy saw two figures approaching.

"Then we'd better go in," she said. "I should not like them to meet
me in an apple tree; they might think me very undignified."

Marian was rather inclined to think they might, but she glossed over
the fact by saying, "Well, you see it has been such a long, long
time since they were young they must forget how it feels."

Miss Dorothy smiled and began to climb down the ladder, Marian
following. In a few minutes they were walking soberly up the path
and reached the front door just as Mr. and Mrs. Otway were there.

"Miss Robbins has come," announced Marian with a little nod of her
head in the direction of the young lady in the background.

"Ah-h," responded her grandfather, "then I was right, my dear," he
turned to his wife, "I said it was probable that she would get the
first train. We should have told Hepzibah or else you should have
remained at home."

"I never remain at home from the quarterly meeting upon any
pretext," returned Mrs. Otway firmly; "it was a most important one."

But Mr. Otway had hastened forward and was holding out his hand in
welcome to Miss Dorothy. "I am glad to receive my old friend's
daughter," he said with a stately bow. "This is Miss--ah, yes,
Miss Dorothy. I may have met you when you were less of a young
lady, but I cannot separate you, as a memory, from your sisters."

"I think I remember Professor Otway," returned Dorothy smiling up
into the near-sighted eyes which were peering down at her. Mr. Otway
was tall, spare, a little stoop-shouldered. His hair was quite gray
and grew sparsely around his temples;