right away."

"Well, not while I have a voice in the affairs of my own husband's
niece! How are you, Evelina, and are you crazy, Sallie Carruthers?" came
in a deep raven croak of a voice that sounded as if it had harked partly
from the tomb, as Aunt Augusta Shelby stood in the doorway, with reproof
on her lips and sternness on her brow. "Peter and I will have Evelina
move down immediately with us. James Hardin has as much in the way of a
family as he can very well stand up under now."

And as she spoke, Aunt Augusta glared at Sallie with such ferocity that
even Sallie's sunshiny presence was slightly dimmed.

"Are you ready, Evelina? Peter will send the surrey for your baggage,"
she continued, and for a moment I quailed, for Aunt Augusta's
determination of mind is always formidable, but I summoned my woman's
wit and man's courage, and answered quickly before she fairly snatched
me from under my own roof-tree.

"That would be lovely, Aunt Augusta, and how are you?" I answered and
asked in the same breath, as I drew near enough to her to receive a
business-like peck on my cheek. "I expect to have you and Uncle Peter to
look after me a lot, but somehow I feel that Father would have
liked--liked for me to live here and keep my home--his home--open. Some
way will arrange itself. I haven't talked with Cousin James yet," I
felt white feathers sprouting all over me, as I thus invoked the
masculine dominance I had come to lay.

"You'll have to settle that matter with your Uncle Peter, then, for,
following his dictates of which I did not approve, I have done our duty
by the orphan. Now, Evelina, let me say in my own person, that I
thoroughly approve of your doing just as you plan." And as she uttered
this heresy, she looked so straight and militant and altogether
commanding, that both Cousin Martha and Sallie quailed. I felt elated,
as if my soul were about to get sight of a kindred personality. Or
rather a soul-relative of yours, Jane.

"Oh, she would be so lonely, Mrs. Shelby, and she--" Sallie was
venturing to say with trepidation, when Aunt Augusta cut her short
without ceremony.

"Lonely, nonsense! Such a busy woman as I now feel sure Evelina is going
to be, will not have time to be lonely. I wish I could stay and talk
with you further about your plans, but I must hurry back and straighten
out Peter's mind on that question of the town water-supply that is to
come up in the meeting of the City Council to-day. He let i