第4章

"Isthatthetruth，MagSinton?"demandedMrs。Comstock。

"YouheardWesleysayso，"proudlyaffirmedMrs。Sinton。

"Iwanttomakeyouaproposition，"saidWesley。

"WaittillElnoracomes。Thenwe\'llshowherthethingsandseewhatshesays。"

"Howwoulditdotoseewhatshesayswithoutbribingher，"sneeredMrs。Comstock。

"Ifshecanstandwhatshedidyesterday，andwillto-

day，shecanbear\'mostanything，"saidWesley。"Putawaytheclothesifyouwantto，tillwetellher。"

"Well，youdon\'ttakethiswaistI\'mworkingon，"

saidMargaret，"forIhavetobasteinthesleevesandsetthecollar。Puttherestoutofsightifyoulike。"

Mrs。Comstockpickedupthebasketandbundles，placedtheminsideherroomandclosedthedoor。

Margaretthreadedherneedleandbegantosew。

Mrs。Comstockreturnedtoherbook，whileWesleyfidgetedandragedinwardly。HecouldseethatMargaretwasnervousandalmostintears，butthelinesinMrs。

Comstock\'simpassivefaceweresetandcold。Sotheysatwhiletheclocktickedoffthetime——onehour，two，dusk，andnoElnora。JustwhenMargaretandWesleywerediscussingwhetherhehadnotbettergototowntomeetElnora，theyheardhercomingupthewalk。Wesleydroppedhistiltedchairandsquaredhimself。Margaretgrippedhersewing，andturnedpleadingeyestowardthedoor。

Mrs。Comstockclosedherbookandgrimlysmiled。

"Mother，pleaseopenthedoor，"calledElnora。

Mrs。Comstockarose，andswungbackthescreen。

Elnorasteppedinbesideher，benthalfdouble，thewholefrontofherdressgatheredintoasortofbagfilledwithaheavyload，andonearmstackedhighwithbooks。InthedimlightshedidnotseetheSintons。

"Pleasehandmetheemptybucketinthekitchen，mother，"shesaid。"Ijusthadtobringthesearrowpointshome，butI\'mscaredforfearI\'vespoiledmydressandwillhavetowashit。I\'mtocleanthem，andtakethemtothebankerinthemorning，andoh，mother，I\'vesoldenoughstufftopayformybooks，mytuition，andmaybeadressandsomelightershoesbesides。Oh，motherI\'msohappy!Takethebooksandbringthebucket!"

ThenshesawMargaretandWesley。"Oh，glory!"

sheexulted。"IwasjustwonderinghowI\'deverwaittotellyou，andhereyouare!It\'stooperfectlysplendidtobetrue!"

"Tellus，Elnora，"saidSinton。

"Wellsir，"saidElnora，doublingdownonthefloorandspreadingoutherskirt，"setthebuckethere，mother。

Thesepointsarebrittle，andshouldbeputinoneatatime。

IftheyarechippedIcan\'tsellthem。Wellsir!I\'vehadatime!YouknowIjusthadtohavebooks。Itriedthreestores，andtheywouldn\'ttrustme，noteventhreedays，Ididn\'tknowwhatinthisworldIcoulddoquicklyenough。

JustwhenIwasalmostfranticIsawasigninabankwindowaskingforcaterpillars，cocoons，butterflies，arrowpoints，andeverything。Iwentin，anditwasthisBirdWomanwhowantstheinsects，andthebankerwantsthestones。Ihadtogotoschoolthen，but，ifyou\'llbelieveit"——Elnorabeamedonalloftheminturnasshetalkedandslippedthearrowpointsfromherdresstothepail——"ifyou\'llbelieveit——butyouwon\'t，hardly，untilyoulookatthebooks——therewasthemathematicsteacher，waitingathisdoor，andhehadasetofbooksformethathehadtelephonedaSophomoretobring。"

"Howdidhehappentodothat，Elnora?"interruptedSinton。

Elnorablushed。

"ItwasafoolmistakeImadeyesterdayinthinkingbookswerejusthandedouttoone。Therewasateachers\'

meetinglastnightandthehistoryteachertoldaboutthat。

ProfessorHenleythoughtofme。YouknowItoldyouwhathesaidaboutmyalgebra，mother。Ain\'tIgladIstudiedoutsomeofitmyselfthissummer!Sohetelephonedandagirlbroughtthebooks。BecausetheyaremarkedandabusedsomeIgetthewholeoutfitfortwodollars。

Icanerasemostofthemarks，pastedownthecovers，andfixthemsotheylookbetter。ButImusthurrytothejoypart。Ididn\'tstoptoeat，atnoon，IjustrantotheBirdWoman\'s，andIhadlunchwithher。Itwassalad，hotchocolate，andlovelythings，andshewantstobuymosteveryoldscrapIevergathered。Shewantsdragonflies，moths，butterflies，andhe——thebanker，I

mean——wantseverythingIndian。Thisverynightshecametotheswampwithmeandtookawayenoughstufftopayforthebooksandtuition，andto-morrowsheisgoingtobuysomemore。"

Elnoralaidthelastarrowpointinthepailandarose，shakingleavesandbitsofbakedearthfromherdress。

Shereachedintoherpocket，producedhermoneyandwaveditbeforetheirwonderingeyes。

"Andthat\'sthejoypart!"sheexulted。"Putitupintheclocktillmorning，mother。Thatpaysforthebooksandtuitionand——"Elnorahesitated，forshesawthenervousgraspwithwhichhermother\'sfingersclosedonthebills。Thenshecontinued，butmoreslowlyandthinkingbeforeshespoke。

"WhatIgetto-morrowpaysformorebooksandtuition，andmaybeafew，justafew，thingstowear。Theseshoesaresodreadfullyheavyandhot，andtheymakesuchanoiseonthefloor。Thereisn\'tanothercalicodressinthewholebuilding，notamonghundredsofus。Why，whatisthat?AuntMargaret，whatareyouhidinginyourlap?"

Shesnatchedthewaistandshookitout，andherfacewasbeaming。"Haveyoutakentowaistsallfancyandbuttonedintheback?Ibetyouthisismine!"

"Ibetyousotoo，"saidMargaretSinton。"Youundressrightawayandtryiton，andifitfits，itwillbedoneformorning。Therearesomelowshoes，too!"

Elnorabegantodance。"Oh，youdearpeople!"

shecried。"Icanpayforthemto-morrownight!

Isn\'tittoosplendid!IwasjustthinkingonthewayhomethatIcertainlywouldbecompelledtohavecoolershoesuntillater，andIwaswonderingwhatI\'ddowhenthefallrainsbegin。"

"Imeanttogetyousomeheavydressskirtsandacoatthen，"saidMrs。Comstock。

"Iknowyousaidso!"criedElnora。"Butyouneedn\'t，now!

IcanbuyeverysinglestitchIneedmyself。NextsummerIcangatherupalotmorestuff，andallwinteronthewaytoschool。IamsureIcansellferns，IknowIcannuts，andtheBirdWomansaysthegraderoomswantleaves，grasses，birds\'nests，andcocoons。Oh，isn\'tthisworldlovely!I\'llbehelpingwiththetax，next，mother!"

Elnorawavedthewaistandstartedforthebedroom。

Whensheopenedthedoorshegavealittlecry。

"Whathaveyoupeoplebeendoing?"shedemanded。

"Ineversawsomanyinterestingbundlesinallmylife。

I\'m`skeered\'todeathforfearIcan\'tpayforthem，andwillhavetogiveupsomething。"

"Wouldn\'tyoutakethem，ifyoucouldnotpayforthem，Elnora?"askedhermotherinstantly。

"Why，notunlessyoudid，"answeredElnora。"Peoplehavenorighttowearthingstheycan\'tafford，havethey?"

"ButfromsucholdfriendsasMaggieandWesley!"

Mrs。Comstock\'svoicewasoilywithtriumph。

"Fromthemleastofall，"criedElnorastoutly。"Fromastrangersoonerthanfromthem，towhomIowesomuchmorethanIevercanpaynow。"

"Well，youdon\'thaveto，"saidMrs。Comstock。

"Maggiejustselectedthesethings，becausesheismoreintouchwiththeworld，andhasgotsuchgoodtaste。

Youcanpayaslongasyourmoneyholdsout，andifthere\'smorenecessary，maybeIcansellthebutcheracalf，orifthingsaretoocostlyforus，ofcourse，theycantakethemback。Putonthewaistnow，andthenyoucanlookovertherestandseeiftheyaresuitable，andwhatyouwant。"

Elnorasteppedintotheadjoiningroomandclosedthedoor。

Mrs。Comstockpickedupthebucketandstartedforthewellwithit。Atthebedroomshepaused。

"Elnora，wereyougoingtowashthesearrowpoints?"

"Yes。TheBirdWomansaystheysellbetteriftheyareclean，soitcanbeseenthattherearenodefectsinthem。"

"Ofcourse，"saidMrs。Comstock。"Someofthemseemquitebaked。ShallIputthemtosoak?Doyouwanttotaketheminthemorning?"

"Yes，Ido，"answeredElnora。"Ifyouwouldjustfillthepailwithwater。"

Mrs。Comstocklefttheroom。WesleySintonsatwithhisbacktothewindowinthewestendofthecabinwhichoverlookedthewell。Asuppressedsoundbehindhimcausedhimtoturnquickly。ThenhearoseandleanedoverMargaret。

"She\'souttherelaughinglikeablamedmonkey!"

hewhisperedindignantly。

"Well，shecan\'thelpit!"exclaimedMargaret。

"I\'mgoinghome!"saidWesley。

"Ohno，youarenot!"retortedMargaret。"Youaremissingthepoint。Thepointisnothowyoulook，orfeel。ItistogetthesethingsinElnora\'spossessionpastdispute。Yougonow，andto-morrowElnorawillwearcalico，andKateComstockwillreturnthesegoods。

RighthereIstayuntileverythingweboughtisElnora\'s。"

"Whatareyougoingtodo?"askedWesley。

"Idon\'tknowyet，myself，"saidMargaret。

Thenshearoseandpeeredfromthewindow。AtthewellcurbstoodKatharineComstock。Thestrainofthedaywasfindingreaction。Herchinwasintheair，shewasheaving，shakingandstranglingtosuppressanysound。ThewordthatslippedbetweenMargaretSinton\'slipsshockedWesleyuntilhedroppedonhischair，andrecalledhertohersenses。ShewasfairlycomposedassheturnedtoElnora，andbeganthefitting。

Whenshehadpinched，pulled，andpattedshecalled，"Comeseeifyouthinkthisfits，Kate。"

Mrs。Comstockhadgonearoundtothebackdoorandansweredfromthekitchen。"YouknowmoreaboutitthanIdo。Goahead!I\'mgettingsupper。

Don\'tforgettoallowforwhatitwillshrinkinwashing!"

"Isetthecoloursandwashedthegoodslastnight；

itcanbemadetofitrightnow，"answeredMargaret。

WhenshecouldfindnothingmoretoaltershetoldElnoratoheatsomewater。Aftershehaddonethatthegirlbeganopeningpackages。

Thehatcamefirst。

"Mother!"criedElnora。"Mother，ofcourse，youhaveseenthis，butyouhaven\'tseenitonme。Imusttryiton。"

"Don\'tyoudareputthatonyourheaduntilyourhairiswashedandproperlycombed，"saidMargaret。

"Oh!"criedElnora。"Isthatwatertowashmyhair?

Ithoughtitwastosetthecolourinanotherdress。"

"Well，youthoughtwrong，"saidMargaretsimply。

"Yourhairisgoingtobewashedandbrusheduntilitshineslikecopper。Whileitdriesyoucaneatyoursupper，andthisdresswillbefinished。Thenyoucanputonyournewribbon，andyourhat。Youcantryyourshoesnow，andiftheydon\'tfit，youandWesleycandrivetotownandchangethem。Thatlittleroundbundleonthetopofthebasketisyourstockings。"

Margaretsatdownandbegansewingswiftly，andalittlelateropenedthemachine，andranseverallongseams。

Elnorareturnedinafewminutesholdingupherskirtsandsteppingdaintilyinthenewshoes。

"Don\'tsoilthem，honey，elseyou\'resuretheyfit，"

cautionedWesley。

"Theyseemjustatriflelarge，maybe，"saidElnoradubiously，andWesleyknelttofeel。HeandMargaretthoughtthemafit，andthenElnoraappealedtohermother。Mrs。Comstockappearedwipingherhandsonherapron。Sheexaminedtheshoescritically。

"Theyseemtofit，"shesaid，"buttheyareawaytoofinetowalkcountryroads。"

"Ithinkso，too，"saidElnorainstantly。"Wehadbettertakethesebackandgetacheaperpair。"

"Oh，letthemgoforthistime，"saidMrs。Comstock。

"Theyaresopretty，Ihatetopartwiththem。Youcangetcheaperonesafterthis。"

WesleyandMargaretscarcelybreathedforalongtime。

WhenWesleywenttodothefeeding。Elnorasetthetable。Whenthewaterwashot，MargaretpinnedabigtowelaroundElnora\'sshouldersandwashedanddriedthelovelyhairaccordingtotheinstructionsshehadbeengiventhepreviousnight。Asthehairbegantodryitbillowedoutinasparklingsheenthatcaughtthelightandgleamedandflashed。

"Now，theideaistoletitstandnaturally，justasthecurlwillmakeit。Don\'tyoudoanyofthatnasty，untidysnarling，Elnora，"cautionedMargaret。"Washitthiswayeverytwoweekswhileyouareinschool，shakeitout，anddryit。Thenpartitinthemiddleandturnafrontquarteroneachsidefromyourface。Youtiethebackatyourneckwithastring——so，andtheribbongoesinabig，loosebow。I\'llshowyou。"OneafteranotherMargaretSintontiedtheribbons，creasingeachofthemsotheycouldnotbereturned，assheexplainedthatshewastryingtofindthecolourmostbecoming。ThensheproducedtheraincoatwhichcarriedElnoraintotransports。

Mrs。Comstockobjected。"Thatwon\'tbewarmenoughforcoldweather，andyoucan\'tafforditandacoat，too。"

"I\'lltellyouwhatIthought，"saidElnora。"Iwasplanningonthewayhome。Thesecoatsarefinebecausetheykeepyoudry。IthoughtIwouldgetone，andawarmsweatertowearunderitcolddays。ThenIalwayswouldbedry，andwarm。Thesweateronlycoststhreedollars，soIcouldgetitandtheraincoatbothforhalfthepriceofaheavyclothcoat。"

"Youarerightaboutthat，"saidMrs。Comstock。

"Youcanchangemorewiththeweather，too。Keeptheraincoat，Elnora。"

"Wearituntilyoutrythehat，"saidMargaret。"Itwillhavetodountilthedressisfinished。"

Elnorapickedupthehatdubiously。"Mother，mayIwearmyhairasitisnow?"sheasked。

"Letmetakeagoodlook，"saidKatharineComstock。

Heavenonlyknowswhatshesaw。ToWesleyandtoMargaretthebrightyoungfaceofElnora，withitspinktints，itsheavydarkbrows，itsbrightblue-grayeyes，anditsframeofcurlingreddish-brownhairwasthesweetestsightonearth，andatthatinstantElnorawasradiant。

"Solongasit\'syourownhair，andcombedbackasplainasitwillgo，Idon\'tsupposeitcutsmuchicewhetherit\'stiedalittletighterorlooser，"concededMrs。Comstock。

"Ifyoustoprightthere，youmayletitgoatthat。"

Elnorasetthehatonherhead。Itwasonlyawidetanstrawwiththreeexquisitepeacockquillsatoneside。

MargaretSintoncriedout，WesleyslappedhiskneeandsigheddeeplywhileMrs。Comstockstoodspeechlessforasecond。

"Iwishyouhadaskedthepricebeforeyouputthaton，"shesaidimpatiently。"Wenevercanaffordit。"

"It\'snotsomuchasyouthink，"saidMargaret。

"Don\'tyouseewhatIdid?Ihadthemtakeoffthequills，andputonsomeofthosePhoebeSimmsgavemefromherpeacocks。Thehatwillonlycostyouadollarandahalf。"

SheavoidedWesley\'seyes，andlookedstraightatMrs。Comstock。Elnoraremovedthehattoexamineit。

"Why，theyarethosereddish-tanquillsofyours!"

shecried。"Mother，lookhowbeautifullytheyareseton!I\'dmuchratherhavethemthanthosefromthestore。"

"SowouldI，"saidMrs。Comstock。"IfMargaretwantstosparethem，thatwillmakeyouabeautifulhat；dirtcheap，too!YoumustgopastMrs。Simmsandshowher。Shewouldbepleasedtoseethem。"

Elnorasankintoachairandcontemplatedhertoe。

"Landy，ain\'tIaqueen?"shemurmured。"WhatelsehaveIgot?"

"Justabelt，somehandkerchiefs，andapairoftopshoesforrainydaysandcolderweather，"saidMargaret。

"Aboutthosehighshoes，thatwasmyidea，"saidWesley。

"Soonasitrains，lowshoeswon\'tdo，andbytakingtwopairsatonceIcouldgetthemsomecheaper。Thelowonesaretwoandthehighonestwofifty，togetherthreeseventy-five。Ain\'tthatcheap?"

"That\'sarealbargain，"saidMrs。Comstock，"iftheyaregoodshoes，andtheylookit。"

"This"saidWesley，producingthelastpackage，"isyourChristmaspresentfromyourAuntMaggie。Igotmine，too，butit\'satthehouse。I\'llbringitupinthemorning。"

HehandedMargarettheumbrella，andshepasseditovertoElnorawhoopeneditandsatlaughingunderitsshelter。Thenshekissedbothofthem。Shebroughtapencilandaslipofpapertosetdownthepricestheygaveherofeverythingtheyhadbroughtexcepttheumbrella，addedthesum，andsaidlaughingly:"Willyoupleasewaittillto-morrowforthemoney?Iwillhaveitthen，sure。"

"Elnora，"saidWesleySinton。"Wouldn\'tyou——"

"Elnora，hustlehereaminute!"calledMrs。Comstockfromthekitchen。"Ineedyou!"

"Onesecond，mother，"answeredElnora，throwingoffthecoatandhat，andclosingtheumbrellaassheran。

Therewereseveralerrandstodoinahurry，andthensupper。

Elnorachatteredincessantly，WesleyandMargarettalkedalltheycould，whileMrs。Comstocksaidawordnowandthen，whichwasallsheeverdid。ButWesleySintonwaswatchingher，andtimeandagainhesawapeculiarlittletwistaroundhermouth。Heknewthatforthefirsttimeinsixteenyearsshereallywaslaughingoversomething。

Shehadallshecoulddotopreserveherusuallysoberface。

Wesleyknewwhatshewasthinking。

Aftersupperthedresswasfinished，thepatternforthenextonediscussed，andthentheSintonswenthome。

Elnoragatheredhertreasures。Whenshestartedupstairsshestopped。"MayIkissyougood-night，mother?"

sheaskedlightly。

"Nevermindanyslobbering，"saidMrs。Comstock。

"Ishouldthinkyou\'dlivedwithmelongenoughtoknowthatIdon\'tcareforit。"

"Well，I\'dlovetoshowyouinsomewayhowhappyI

am，andhowIthankyou。"

"Iwonderwhatfor?"saidMrs。Comstock。"MagSintonchosethatstuffandbroughtithereandyoupayforit。"

"Yes，butyouseemedwillingformetohaveit，andyousaidyouwouldhelpmeifIcouldn\'tpayall。"

"MaybeIdid，"saidMrs。Comstock。"MaybeIdid。

ImeanttogetyousomeheavydressskirtsaboutThanksgiving，andIstillcangetthem。Gotobed，andforanysakedon\'tbeginmooningbeforeamirror，andmakeadunceofyourself。"

Mrs。Comstockpickedupseveralpapersandblewoutthekitchenlight。Shestoodinthemiddleofthesitting-

roomfloorforatimeandthenwentintoherroomandclosedthedoor。Sittingontheedgeofthebedshethoughtforafewminutesandthensuddenlyburiedherfaceinthepillowandagainheavedwithlaughter。

DowntheroadploddedMargaretandWesleySinton。

Neitherofthemhadwordstouttertheirunitedthought。

"Done!"hissedWesleyatlast。"Donebrown!Didyoueverfeellikeabloomin\'，confoundeddonkey?Howdidthewomandoit?"

"Shedidn\'tdoit!"gulpedMargaretthroughhertears。

"Shedidn\'tdoanything。ShetrustedtoElnora\'sgreatbigsoultobringheroutright，andreallyshewasright，andsoithadtobringher。She\'sadarling，Wesley!

Butshe\'sgotatimebeforeher。DidyouseeKateComstockgrabthatmoney?Beforesixmonthsshe\'llbeoutcombingtheLimberlostforbugsandarrowpointstohelppaythetax。

Iknowher。"

"Well，Idon\'t!"exclaimedSinton，"she\'stoomanyforme。

Butthereisalaughleftinheryet!Ididn\'ts\'posetherewas。Betyouadollar，ifwecouldseeherthisminute，she\'dbechucklingoverthewaywegotleft。"

Bothofthemstoppedintheroadandlookedback。

"There\'sElnora\'slightinherroom，"saidMargaret。

"Thepoorchildwillfeelthoseclothes，andporeoverherbookstillmorning，butshe\'lllookdecenttogotoschool，anyway。Nothingistoobigapricetopayforthat。"

"Yes，ifKateletsherwearthem。Tentoone，shemakesherfinishtheweekwiththatoldstuff!"

"No，shewon\'t，"saidMargaret。"She\'llhardlydare。

Katemadesomeconcessions，allright；bigonesforher——

ifshedidgetherwayinthemain。Shebentsome，andifElnoraprovesthatshecanwalkoutbarehandedinthemorningandcomebackwiththatmuchmoneyinherpocket，anarmfulofbooks，andbuyaturnoutlikethat，sheprovesthatsheisofsomeconsideration，andKate\'ssmartenough。She\'llthinktwicebeforeshe\'lldothat。

Elnorawon\'twearacalicodresstohighschoolagain。

Youwatchandseeifshedoes。Shemayhavethebestclothesshe\'llgetforatime，fortheleastmoney，butshewon\'tknowituntilshetriestobuygoodsherselfatthesamerates。Wesley，whataboutthoseprices?Didn\'ttheyshrinkconsiderable?"

"Youbeganit，"saidWesley。"Thosepriceswereallright。

Wedidn\'tsaywhatthegoodscostus，wesaidwhattheywouldcosther。Surely，she\'smistakenaboutbeingabletopayallthat。CanshepickupstuffofthatvaluearoundtheLimberlost?Didn\'ttheBirdWomanseehertrouble，andjustgiveherthemoney?"

"Idon\'tthinkso，"saidMargaret。"SeemstomeI\'veheardofherpaying，orofferingtopaythosewhowouldtakethemoney，forbugsandbutterflies，andI\'veknownpeoplewhosoldthatbankerIndianstuff。OnceI

heardthathispipecollectionbeatthatoftheGovernmentatthePhiladelphiaCentennial。Thosethingshavecometohaveavalue。"

"Well，there\'saboutabushelofthatkindofvaluablespiledupinthewoodshed，thatbelongstoElnora。Atleast，Ipickedthemupbecauseshesaidshewantedthem。

Ain\'titqueerthatshe\'dtaketostones，bugs，andbutterflies，andsavethem。Nowtheyaregoingtobringhertheverythingshewantstheworst。Lord，butthisisafunnyworldwhenyougettostudying!Lookslikethingsdidn\'tallcomebyaccident。Looksasiftherewasaplanbackofit，andsomebodydrivingthatknowstheroad，andhowtohandlethelines。Anyhow，Elnora\'sinthewagon，andwhenIgetoutinthenightandthedarkclosesaroundme，andIseethestars，Idon\'tfeelsocheap。Maggie，howthenationdidKateComstockdothat?"

"Youwillkeeponharping，Wesley。Itoldyoushedidn\'tdoit。Elnoradidit!Shewalkedinandtookthingsrightoutofourhands。AllKatehadtodowastoenjoyhavingitgoherway，andshewascuteenoughtoputinafewquestionsthatsortofguidedElnora。ButI

don\'tknow，Wesley。Thisthingmakesmethink，too。

S\'posewe\'dtakenElnorawhenshewasababy，andwe\'dheapedonherallthelovewecan\'tonourown，andwe\'dcoddled，petted，andshieldedher，wouldshehavemadethewomanthatlivingalone，learningtothinkforherself，andtakingalltheknocksKateComstockcouldgive，havemadeofher?"

"Youbetyourlife!"criedWesley，warmly。"Lovinganybodydon\'thurtthem。Wewouldn\'thavedoneanythingbutloveher。

Youcan\'thurtachildlovingit。She\'dhavelearnedtowork，tostudy，andgrownintoawomanwithus，withoutsufferinglikeapoorhomelessdog。"

"Butyoudon\'tseethepoint，Wesley。Shewouldhavegrownintoafinewomanwithus；butaswewouldhaveraisedher，wouldherhearteverhaveknowntheworldasitdoesnow?Where\'stheanguish，Wesley，thatchildcan\'tcomprehend?Seeingwhatshe\'sseenofhermotherhasn\'thardenedher。Shecanunderstandanymother\'ssorrow。

Livinglifefromtheroughsidehasonlybroadenedher。

Where\'sthegirlorboyburningwithshame，orstrugglingtofindaway，thatwillcrossElnora\'spathandnotgetaliftfromher?She\'shadtheknocks，butthere\'llneverbeanyofthethingyoucall`falsepride\'inher。Iguesswebetterkeepout。MaybeKateComstockknowswhatshe\'sdoing。

Sureasyoulive，Elnorahasgrownbiggeronknocksthanshewouldonlove。"

"Idon\'ts\'posethereeverwasaveryfinepointtoanythingbutImissedit，"saidWesley，"becauseIamblunt，rough，andhavenobooklearningtospeakof。

SinceyouputitintowordsIseewhatyoumean，butit\'sdingedhardonElnora，justthesame。AndIdon\'tkeepout。

Ikeepwatchingcloserthanever。Igotmyslapintheface，butifIdon\'tmissmyguess，KateComstocklearnedherlesson，sameasIdid。ShelearnedthatIwasinearnest，thatIwouldhaulhertocourtifshedidn\'tloosenupabit，andshe\'llloosen。Youseeifshedoesn\'t。

Itmaycomehard，andthehingescreak，butshe\'llfixElnoradecentafterthis，ifElnoradoesn\'tprovethatshecanfixherself。Asforme，IfoundoutthatwhatIwasdoingwasasmuchformyselfasforElnora。Iwantedhertotakethosethingsfromus，andloveusforgivingthem。

Itdidn\'twork，andbutforyou，I\'dmessedthewholethingandstucklikeapigincrossingabridge。Butyouhelpedmeout；Elnora\'sgottheclothes，andbymorning，maybeIwon\'tgrudgeKatetheonlylaughshe\'shadinsixteenyears。Youbeenshowingmethewayquiteaspellnow，ain\'tyou，Maggie?"

InheratticElnoralightedtwocandles，setthemonherlittletable，stackedthebooks，andputawaythepreciousclothes。Howlovinglyshehungthehatandumbrella，foldedtheraincoat，andspreadthenewdressoverachair。

Shefingeredtheribbons，andtriedtosmooththecreasesfromthem。Sheputawaythehoseneatlyfolded，touchedthehandkerchiefs，andtriedthebelt。Thensheslippedintoherwhitenightdress，shookdownherhairthatitmightbecomethoroughlydry，setachairbeforethetable，andreverentlyopenedoneofthebooks。Astiffdraughtswepttheattic，foritstretchedthelengthofthecabin，andhadawindowineachend。Elnoraaroseandgoingtotheeastwindowclosedit。Shestoodforaminutelookingatthestars，thesky，andthedarkoutlineofthestragglingtreesoftherapidlydismantlingLimberlost。Intheregionofhercaseatinypointoflightflashedanddisappeared。

Elnorastraightenedandwondered。Wasitwisetoleaveherpreciousmoneythere?Thelightflashedoncemore，waveredafewseconds，anddiedout。Thegirlwaited。

Shedidnotseeitagain，sosheturnedtoherbooks。

IntheLimberlostthehulkingfigureofamansneakeddownthetrail。

"TheBirdWomanwasatFreckles\'sroomthisevening，"

hemuttered。"Wonderwhatfor?"

Heleftthetrail，enteredtheenclosurestilldistinctlyoutlined，andapproachedthecase。Thefirstpointoflightflashedfromthetinyelectriclamponhisvest。Hetookaduplicatekeyfromhispocket，feltforthepadlockandopenedit。Thedoorswungwide。Thelightflashedthesecondtime。Swiftlyhisglanceswepttheinterior。

"\'Boutafourthofhermothsgone。ElnoramusthavebeenwiththeBirdWomanandgiventhemtoher。"

Thenhestoodtense。Hiskeeneyesdiscoveredtherollofbillshastilythrustbackinthebottomofthecase。