came in the carriage."

"You know well enough what she meant, Helen. You'll get so fine there'll
be hardly any living with you when you come back."

"When she came back." A tremor ran through Helen's nerves. Oh, must she
come back!

"How is Jenny?" she inquired.

"Oh, Jenny's first rate, working like a beaver. There's a girl worth
something, if she is mine! And the house is getting done up just
splendid. Joe's crazy to be married right off, but Jenny's like me, when
her mind's made up it's made up. There's a good deal of Cummings in her.
Why don't you take off your hat? You're going to stay to supper?"

"No, I can't," Helen returned gently. "Mrs. Van Dorn was going to drive
round a little----"

"She could have come in," snapped Aunt Jane. "We could have had the
horse put out and you could both have stayed to supper. I dare say we
have as good things to eat as Mrs. Dayton. She doesn't refuse our
butter and eggs nor chickens when we have 'em to spare."

"They all think the butter splendid, Aunt Jane. And Mrs. Disbrowe wishes
they could get such eggs in the city. She is sure what they get must be
a month old," said Helen, with an attempt at gayety.

"I _do_ make good butter. Mrs. Dayton's folks are not the first to find
it out," bridling her head. "And I'll say for Mrs. Dayton she's willing
to pay a fair price. But I s'pose that old woman pays well?"

Helen wondered how the woman in the carriage would look if she heard
that!

"I'd like to know the prices myself. Haven't you heard Mrs. Dayton say?
I might want to keep boarders, some day."

"No," answered Helen. "But there are a good many boarders at North Hope,
and some of them look as if they didn't mind about money."

"Carriage has come," announced Nathan, running in. Aurelia had finished
the potatoes and put them on to cook and now stood with one arm around
Helen's neck.

"Stay! stay! Can't you stay?" cried a chorus of voices in various keys.

"I am not my own mistress," answered Helen, cheerfully. "And when you
are paid to do a certain thing, paid for your time, it belongs to
someone else."

She loosened the children's arms and rose.

"Well it is a mean little call," said her aunt, "and your uncle will be
awful disappointed. But when you live with grand people I s'pose you
must be grand. Do come when you can stay longer," with a sort of sarcasm
in her tone.

"I'll try." Helen kept her temper bravely, left her love for Jenny and
Uncle Jason. Aunt J