stions to ask you and a million things to tell you."

"Come here, young man, and see me walk!" was Madam's greeting. "Do I look
like a cripple? Leg off at the knee, crutches for life? Bah! We fooled
them, didn't we?"

Quin made a tremendous fuss over the old lady. He also threw the aunties
into pleased confusion by pretending that he was going to kiss them, and
occasioned no end of laughter and good-natured banter by his incessant
teasing of Mr. Chester. He was in that state of effervescence that
demanded an immediate outlet.

Madam found him so amusing that she promptly detailed him as her special
escort.

"Eleanor can look after the baggage," she said, "and Isobel can look
after Eleanor. The turtle-doves can take a taxi." And she closed her
strong old fingers around Quin's wrist and pulled him forward.

He shot an appealing glance over his shoulder at Eleanor, who shook her
head in exasperation; then he obediently conducted Madam to her carriage
and scrambled in beside her.

"Now," she said, when he had got a cushion at her back and a stool under
her foot, "tell me: where's Ranny--drunk as usual?"

"No, siree!" said Quin proudly. "Sober as usual. He hasn't touched a drop
since you went away."

She looked at him incredulously.

"Are you lying?"

"I am not."

Her hard, suspicious old face began to twitch and her eyelids reddened.

"This is your doing," she said gruffly. "You've put more backbone into
him than all the doctors together."

"That's not all I've done," said Quin. "What are you going to say when I
tell you I've sold him a farm?"

"A farm? You've got no farm; and he had no money to buy it, if you had."

"That's all right. He has had a farm for three months. You ought to see
him--up at six o'clock every morning looking after things, and so keen
about getting back to it in the evening that he never thinks about going
to the club or staying in town."

"What's all this nonsense you are talking?"

"It's not nonsense. He's bought a little place out near Anchordale. They
are living there."

"And they did this without consulting me!" Madam's eyes blazed. "Why, he
is no more capable of running a farm than a ten-year-old child! I have
fought it for years. He knew perfectly well if he told me I'd stop it
instantly. He will appeal to me to help out within six months, you'll
see! I sha'n't do it! I'll show my children if they can do without me
that I can go without them."

She was working herself i