t old woman is sick,
anyway."

"Whether she was or not you should have taken those things to her,"
spoke Doctor Raymond, who had entered the room unperceived by the young
people. "If you were tired of taking them you should have said so, and
some one would have relieved you of the burden. As it is, she deems us
guilty of neglect when we promised her aid, and, worse still, she may
have suffered for the need of those very things. Is there no confidence
to be placed in girls? Is neither of you to be trusted?"

Adele's face at first scarlet with mortification turned white under the
reproof. She gazed at him pleadingly, and then bursting into tears ran
to him and threw her arms about him.

"Do forgive me, Uncle William," she sobbed. "If you will, I'll never
neglect her again. Please, please try me just once more! Only once
more, Uncle William. Will you?"

Doctor Raymond's stern expression relaxed as the pretty penitent clung
to him.

"There!" he said with great gentleness. "Perhaps I demand too much of
you. I should remember that you are young and thoughtless, and perhaps,
too, you did not realize the gravity of what you were doing. There,
child! we will say no more about it, but you must be more careful."

"And you do forgive me, uncle? You will let me try again?"

"Yes, child; of course I forgive you."

Bee listened to the foregoing conversation with amazement and profound
astonishment. She, too, had trespassed, but he had promised forgiveness
only if her future conduct merited it. What was the reason that he found
it so much harder to forgive her than Adele? Did he exact more from her
because she was his daughter? He had told her that he had thought her
different from other girls. If that were the case then did he expect her
to come up to a higher standard? Puzzled, perplexed, she gazed at her
father with such steady directness that he turned his head and met her
glance squarely.

"Beatrice," he said, "I fear you do not understand many things."

But Bee smiled suddenly. She thought she had solved the enigma. And with
the thought came the resolve that she would meet his expectations; that
she would, if endeavor could bring it about, reach the high standard he
had set for his daughter. So she was able to reply:

"I think that I do, father. It's all right."

Then with Percival she went out of the room.

Chapter XXII

"I Shouldn't Want You To Be Anything But Pretty"

"Let e