of the reasons why I made up my mind to come away from Charleston," Nona finished quietly.

She had not been tragic or dramatic in the telling of her story, and yet neither of her two girl friends knew exactly what to answer.

[Pg 17]

[Pg 17]

But since the silence must somehow be broken, Mildred Thornton murmured, "How very odd; perhaps you are mistaken, Nona!" Then she realized that she had made an absurd speech.

Barbara was even more visibly embarrassed. "Possibly your mother was a princess or something!" she ejaculated vaguely. "I always insisted that you were one of the most aristocratic persons I ever knew, both in your appearance and manner, Nona," her friend continued, desiring to be comforting and yet appreciating that her remarks were also rather ridiculous.

Nona, however, was not to be turned aside in her confession.

"I have only spoken of this because I wanted you girls to know the facts in my life that are important. Of course, I realize this problem of mine cannot mean a great deal to you. But it has puzzled me all my life. You see, I don't even know whether my mother is living or dead. I have supposed that she was dead, and my father always talked as if she were; but I really am not sure of even that."

[Pg 18]

[Pg 18]

Nona then extended a hand to each of her friends.

"Please let us never speak of this again," she asked. "Of course, I mean to tell Eugenia, for it was because we were hurt by her lack of confidence in us that I nerved myself for my confession."

Nona then sat down again as if the entire subject were closed forever.

So, although the other girls had dozens of questions at the tips of their tongues, they remained politely silent.

In order to conceal her embarrassment Mildred Thornton glanced around to try to find Eugenia. She discovered that the older girl had at last been disturbed from her reverie. Indeed, she had risen and was walking toward the road. For a noise with which they had grown familiar in the past fifteen months was drawing nearer and nearer. It was the tramping of soldiers' feet.

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