room and recalled her mother's words, as they
left the dinner-table, that noon.

"I shall be busy, this afternoon, Teddy, so I shall leave Hu in your
care."

A vase of fading flowers stood on the table, and beside it was a plate
of half-eaten fruit. Odds and ends of clothing lay about, and the bed on
which he had thrown himself looked tumbled and unattractive. It seemed
impossible that, since the morning, a room could get into such a state
of dire disorder.

Rising, she crept softly about the room, setting things to rights and
giving the place the look of feminine daintiness which she knew so well
how to impart. Not even Hope had so much of the true home-making
instinct as Theodora, when she chose to turn her wayward interest in
that direction; and within a few moments the room looked a different
place altogether.

Hubert stirred slightly, and Theodora whisked her duster out of sight
and went back to the bed.

"Hu, I'm awfully sorry," she said, in explosive contrition. "I never
meant to be so piggable."

The memory of their brief passage at arms had faded from Hubert's mind,
and he answered, with a yawn,--

"What do you mean?"

"About leaving you and going off with Billy. Really, Hu, I didn't s'pose
you cared, and Billy was used to me, and--I rather guess I've been a
good deal selfish; but I won't, any more."

"Why, Ted!" For her head had dropped on his shoulder, and he felt the
hot tears falling on his wrist.

"I like you so much better, Hu. You're my twin, and there's nobody like
you, and to think I left you all alone!" In her excitement, the tears
came fast.

"Ted, don't be silly! Look up, old girl! I don't want you hanging round
here with me. I'll be out of this in a week, anyway."

"I know that, Hu." Theodora raised her head and spoke proudly. "But
you're my twin and my other half, better than all the Billys in
creation, and I ought to stay with you. What's more, I don't mean to go
off again till you can go with me. Billy is Billy, and good fun; but
you--" she cuddled her head against him with one of her rare
demonstrations of affection--"are my Hu."

"I'm sorry, Billy," she said, that evening; "but I can't go out with
you, to-morrow. Hu's shut up in the house, and I don't think it is quite
fair to leave him, all the time."

"Leave him, half the time, then," Billy suggested.

Theodora shook her head.

"Hu stands first, Billy; and I must look out for him when he's ill."

Loyally she kept her