listening.

He demurred a little, but finally assented. Mrs. Dayton brought him a
tempting plateful, and then unfolded her plan which had shaped itself
definitely in this brief while. She would come over Monday afternoon,
meanwhile he was to prepare the way for her.

"Well, that does beat me! Why Helen, you've struck luck! I don't see how
mother can make any real objection, though she'll fuss at first. That's
her way. And as you say ma'am we've a houseful at home, Helen ought to
be mighty obliged to you."

Helen caught Mrs. Dayton's hand and pressed it against her cheek in a
mute caress.

"And now we must start off home. Oh, Helen, here's a letter for you.
Come, you're too young for that sort of work," and her uncle laughed.

She lingered in the door-way opening it. Mr. Warfield had to go away
before he had expected, but he begged her to take the High School
examination and see how she stood. When he returned they would talk the
matter over. It would be such a pity for her to stop here. He sent a
list of questions for her to study out.

They hurried off home, and Betty was nothing loth. Uncle Jason said he
would lay the matter before mother to-morrow. Helen better not say
anything.

"And you'll be so fine riding out every day, and keeping company with
big bugs that I don't see how you'll ever get back to us again. Mebbe
you won't. The High School may be next step."

She squeezed Uncle Jason's arm in a sort of transport. A shadowy
thought like this had crossed her brain.

Aunt Jane was out on the doorstep with some of the younger children.

"Well, you _have_ come at last, after keeping one on tenterhooks and
supper warmed up and got cold again, and no one knowing whether you were
thrown out and killed or waylaid----"

"There mother, nothing happened except that Warren fellow went off and I
waited and waited for him. I was bound to get my note. And we had supper
at Mrs. Dayton's. I sent Helen there to wait for me."

"Oh, Helen--we couldn't think! Did you get the things? If you'd lost my
money--" and Jenny made a threatening pause.

"I didn't lose anything." Helen began to unpack her satchel on the
cleanest end of the dining table. "I found everything but the lace and
the blue sewing silk, and Mr. Morris is going to order them by mail. He
sent some samples of lace in case he couldn't find the exact match."

"But it's got to match," returned Jenny in a positive tone. "And I did
want that blue silk to finis