ed that
there existed no cause for an estrangement between them.

Down in the city, Debby Alden was spending the best year of her life.
She had continued her music until her playing had passed the apprentice
stage. She read the classics with Miss Richards. The townspeople had
found her charming in her gracious thought for others. She was practical
and thoroughgoing, and they filled her hands with church and charity
work. Debby had not an idle, lonely moment. To do her justice, she gave
no thought to what people might be thinking of her. She had too many
thoughts outside herself to give Debby Alden much thought.

She had proved the statement that it is a woman's own fault if she is
not beautiful by the time she has forty years to her credit. Debby's
beauty was of form and feature, and beyond this, the beauty which
radiates from holding high ideals and living up to them. People did not
merely like or admire this elder Miss Alden. Those words were weak to
express the sentiment they held for her. They loved her, perhaps because
Debby had in her heart an interest and love for every human creature
that she met. Hester wisely had not mentioned to her aunt the little
disturbance at school. This was partly due to unselfishness, and partly
that there had been nothing tangible to tell. It would be very foolish
to run and cry, "I have had my feelings wounded, but I do not know why."
Pride, too, was one of the important factors of her silence. She could
tell no one--not even her dear aunt--that the girls had, for some
reason, held her in disfavor.

But Debby Alden had not lived with Hester sixteen years without
understanding her. The girl had barely entered the cottage and removed
her wraps before Debby knew that something had gone wrong. Debby asked
no questions, according to Hester the same privileges she demanded for
herself--to have hurts and wounds without being questioned concerning
them.

At the sight of Hester's troubled face, Debby Alden's old fears came
back to her. Had someone at the school brought up the subject of the
girl's parentage? Had someone told her that she had been thrown upon the
world a waif, and none of her people had cared to look for her?

Saturday evening, the three of the household gathered about the grate
fire. Miss Richards had her embroidery and Debby had taken up a book;
but neither was in the mood for work. Hester was filled to the brim with
school. She was fairly bubbling over with stories of