est reading was entering into the
spirit of the writer, imagining yourself in the scenes that are
described, or taking part in any conversation. And he said when I
recited that last day of school, I must be the Captains and Herve Riel,
just as if I was leading in the ships."

Her face was in a glow, her eyes luminous.

"How old is Mr. Warfield?"

Helen Grant's father had married one of his young pupils, Mrs. Van Dorn
remembered.

"Oh, I don't know, a real young man. He has only been at the Center a
year."

Mrs. Van Dorn nodded with her chin, a way she had.

"He is quite in earnest about your going to the High School?" she
continued.

"He thinks I could teach, and I should like that so much."

She flushed daintily recalling the other half secret she had touched
upon with Mrs. Dayton.

"The girl is capable of love and all that nonsense," thought Mrs. Van
Dorn. Why should she not come to love her?

CHAPTER VI

HOW THEY ALL PLANNED

"Helen," began Mrs. Dayton, "I was thinking if you would like to go home
on Saturday and make your visit it might be a good thing. We have made
no real plans about the winter as yet, but we might like to presently."

There was a half mirthful, half meaning light in her eyes.

"Oh!" Helen said. She was not longing for the visit. Her cool reception
by her aunt had really hurt her.

"Time is going so fast. Why, here it is only two weeks and a half to
September."

"If you think I had better," very soberly.

"Yes, I do. It would look rather underhand if you went home and said
nothing when we had settled upon certain intentions."

"Yes, I understand."

Mrs. Van Dorn objected, but when she found it was a matter of duty,
rather than delight, she gave in with a few little grumbles. Uncle
Jason was so full of satisfaction he hugged Helen to his heart and
kissed her.

So she said good-by and had a pleasant drive over, heard all the small
_on dits_ of the farm; that two hens had stolen nests and brought off
twenty-three chickens between them; and old Bose, the dog, had died
suddenly, and they had a mastiff pup eight months old; that they were
building a new fence on the back of the barn lot, and that there would
be no end of apples this fall. He really didn't know what they would do
when Jenny went away, and he wished girls didn't want to get married.
But she, Helen, would come home and that would liven up things a bit.

They turned into the lane and when they were by th