led all over at Doctor Nelson's question: "You are Mr.
Dale?"... "Why the devil did I offer to get a doctor? I wish Lily would
move to the ends of the earth; or that the brat would get well; or--or
something."

There was a little delay in reaching the station, and when he got there,
it was to find that Mrs. Houghton's train was in and she and Edith,
shifting for themselves, had presumably taken a hack to find their way
to Maurice's house. He was mortified, but annoyed, too, because it
involved giving Eleanor some sort of lying explanation for his
discourtesy. "I'll have to cook up some kind of yarn!" he thought,
disgustedly...

When Edith and her mother had arrived, unaccompanied by Maurice, Eleanor
was sharply worried; had anything happened to him? Oh, she was afraid
something had happened to him! "Where _do_ you suppose he is?" she said,
over and over. "I'm always so afraid he's been run over!" And when
Maurice, flushed and apologetic, appeared, she was so relieved that she
was cross. What on earth had detained him? "How _did_ you miss them?"

So Maurice immediately told half of the truth,--this being easier for
him than an out-and-out lie. He had been detained because he had to go
and see a house in Medfield. "Awfully sorry, Mrs. Houghton!"

Eleanor said she should have thought he needn't have stayed long enough
to be late at the station! Well, he hadn't stayed long; but the--"the
tenant was afraid her baby had measles and she had asked him to go and
get a doctor, and--"

"Of course!" Mrs. Houghton said; "don't give it a thought, Maurice.
John Bennett met us--you knew he was at the Polytechnical?--and brought
us here. But, anyhow, Edith and I were quite capable of looking out for
ourselves; weren't we, Edith?"

Edith, almost sixteen now, long-legged, silent, and friendly, said,
"Yes, mother" and helped herself so liberally to butter that her hostess
thought to herself, _"Gracious!"_

However, assured that Maurice had not been run over, Eleanor was really
indifferent to Edith's appetite, for the sum Mrs. Houghton had offered
for the girl's board was generous. So, proud of the new house, and
pleased with sitting at the head of her own table, and hoping that
Maurice would like the pudding, which, with infinite fussing, she had
made with her own hands, she felt both happy and hospitable. She told
Edith to take some more butter (which she did!); and tell Johnny to come
to dinner some night, "and we'll have some mu