family. There
were statements at variance.

"You said Robert had no sisters or brothers," she said.

"He hasn't," was the reply. "They did--that is--" Helen was visibly
embarrassed. She could not equivocate, neither could she go into details
of a family history. She hesitated a moment and said, "Little Dorothy
was not with them long--just a year."

"Poor little baby. It must be dreadful to die when you are little. You
miss so much. If I had died when I was little, I should have been sorry
all the time thinking about what I had missed."

Hester's new logic caused her not to notice that Helen had made no
affirmation in regard to the death of the child.

"Little Dorothy," was what Hester called her. From that time on, at odd
moments, Hester introduced the subject of "little Dorothy," yet never
became aware that the subject was not a pleasing one to Helen who never
encouraged or took part in it.

Taking the card, Helen slipped it into the basket.

"Is your cocoa ready, Hester? I am almost famished. I never eat veal, so
Friday evenings I go hungry. Friday is always veal day at school."

"I was so interested in the picture that I forgot about the cocoa." She
hurried to the alcohol lamp.

"It is burnt out. It really did not have much in it. I should have
filled it, I suppose. But I am not accustomed to cooking in this way.
The water is boiling."

She measured the cocoa and cream into the cups and poured the boiling
water from the kettle upon it.

"I wish your Aunt Harriet would come to see you to-morrow," continued
Hester. "I liked her picture when I first saw it. I know that I should
like her almost as much as I do Aunt Debby. Do you think that she will
come to-morrow?"

"No, not to-morrow. She went away last week. She did not expect to go,
but she heard something which caused her to go to Canada. Poor Aunt
Harriet!"

The last words surprised Hester. She could see no just cause for the use
of that word "poor," in connection with Mrs. Vail. To Hester's mind, a
woman with a city and country home, automobiles, horses, and servants in
livery was far from being poor.

The week had been so filled with new experiences that Hester had been
from her room only for recitations, meals and the required walk about
the campus. She had met a number of the girls, but with the exception of
Helen and Sara, could not remember the name of any.

"I'll never know one girl from another. They all look alike to me," she
said to Sar