al at two, so she would do a little shopping herself
and let the rest wait."

"Well," said Susanna, after a pause in which her very soul rebelled,
"it can't be helped, I suppose! Did Mr. Fairfax go out with her?"

"He was to take her somewhere for a cup of tea and then he was going
home."

"Going home! But I've just come from there!"

"He thought he'd probably catch you there, I think. He was anxious to
get hold of those plans."

"Oh, I could CRY--" Susanna began despairingly. But indeed Miss Perry
needed no assurance of that. "I could cry!" said Susanna again.
"To-day," she expanded, "has been simply one miserable accident after
another! I hope it'll be a lesson to me! Well--" She broke off short,
for Miss Perry, while kind, was human, and was visibly conscious that
she had promised her brother and sister-in-law to be at their house in
East Auburndale, a populous suburb, long before it was time to put the
baby to bed. "I suppose there's nothing for me to do but go home,"
finished Susanna, discontentedly.

"Accidents will happen!" trilled Miss Perry, blithely, hurrying for her
car.

Susanna went thoughtfully home, reflecting soberly upon the events of
the day. If she could but live this episode down, she told herself; but
meet and win Mrs. Thayer somehow in the near future; but bring Jim to
the point of entirely forgetting and forgiving the whole disgraceful
day, she would really reform. She would "keep lists," she would "make
notes," and she would "think twice." In short, she would do all the
things that those who had her good at heart had been advising for the
past ten years.

Of course, if the Thayers were resentful--refused to be
placated--Susanna made a little wry mouth. But they wouldn't be!

Still deep in stimulating thoughts of a complete reformation, Susanna
reached home again, crossed the deep-tiled porch with its potted olives
and gay awnings, entered the big hall now dim with afternoon shadows.
Now for Jim--!

But where was Jim?

"Mr. Fairfax is home, Emma?"

"Oh, there you are, Mrs. Fairfax! And us trying and trying to telefome
you! No ma'am, he's not home. He left on the three-twenty. He'd only
come out in a rush for some papers, and he had to get back to town to
see some one at once. There's a note--"

Susanna sat down. Her head was splitting, she was hungry and exhausted,
and, at the effort she made to keep the tears out of her eyes, a wave
of acute pain swept across her forehead. She o