e."

His companion had already torn open the sheet, and was reading
greedily.

"Oh, dear--_dear_!" she ejaculated above her breath. At last she looked
up. "The judge showed you this, of course?"

"No."

"Then"--

"No, really, Miss Lacey, it's none of my business, you see."

"None of your business, after you've been so _kind_ and taken such an
_interest_? I should say it is! Listen."

John brought his teeth together in a resigned sigh while his hostess
read aloud, occasionally lifting her eyes to comment. At the close he
spoke.

"I was surprised to learn that you and Miss Derwent are friends."

"Oh, you know her?" asked Miss Martha absently.

"Up to a few years ago, I did, very well."

"You can see what opinion Thinkright has of Judge Trent and me."

"Yes," returned John, harking back to his monosyllables.

"No doubt you have the same," said Miss Lacey dismally, "even though I
explained to you fully"--

"Well, your mind can be at rest now," returned Dunham. "The young lady
is provided for."

"Thinkright is certainly a good man," said Miss Lacey, her brow still
drawn, "although he isn't exactly what folks would call a professor. No
one that knows him has a particle of doubt that he means well, and I
feel that his notions can't do Sylvia any real harm when he lives such
a good life."

"What are his notions? Do you mean that he is a freethinker?"

"Well," responded Miss Lacey, "I don't see how anybody could be _more_
free. I should feel that I was tempting Providence to expect everything
was coming my way, the way he does. I should expect a thunderbolt
instead of prosperity. I told him so once, and he smiled and said then
I'd probably get the thunderbolt. He says it's all a matter of what you
expect and why you expect it. He asked me if the reason I expected the
thunderbolt was because I believed that God was Love. He hasn't got a
spark of the humility that most good folks know they must have. Why, if
every Christian was like him there wouldn't be a professor left who'd
call himself a poor worm or a sinner. I don't agree with Thinkright,
because I'd never be so presuming with my Creator as he is, nor be
certain that my Father wouldn't see fit to send me any afflictions; but
I must say he has as lively a dread of sin as anybody I ever knew.
There's no mistake about his being a good soul, and that's why I don't
mind his notions; and, oh, I'm so glad he's got that flighty child
under his wing. She'll nev