its title. But once they got into it they couldn’t stop. If you read it yourself you’d see why.”

Kate was fairly radiant with her enthusiasm about this book. Her aunt smiled into her eager eyes. “I shall certainly look it over, then,” she promised. “It must be an unusual book to inspire such loyalty.”

“I’ll bring my copy down and put it on your reading table right after luncheon.”

“You have a copy with you! It must be a favourite! Thank you, Kate.”

But Elsie did not offer a word to this topic. She sat, colder than ever, looking at the wall to the right of Kate’s shoulder.

“As Timothy hasn’t been working this morning, I think I shall have him take me in to Boston this afternoon,” Aunt Katherine said, as she helped the girls to lemon ice which had just been set before her in a frosted bowl. “Driving is about the coolest thing one can do to-day. Will either or both of you come with me?”

“Oh, yes. I should love to.” Kate was secretly relieved that with this promise she would not be thrown alone with Elsie again that afternoon. And she was even more relieved when Elsie said, “I don’t believe I’ll go, thank you, Aunt Katherine. I shall read or do something here.”

As Kate was on her way up to get her hat for the drive she was stopped at the stair-turning by a woman who had come through a door connecting with a different staircase. She was a middle-aged, plump person with graying curly hair, in a starched black and white print dress, almost entirely concealed by a crisp white apron. It was the cook, Julia.

“How do you do, Miss Kate,” she said, hurriedly, and almost in a whisper. “Excuse me, but I just had to ask how is your blessed mother? Miss Frazier never tells us anything at all. She ain’t sick or anything, is she, and that’s why you’re here?”

Kate reassured her. “But did you know Mother?” she asked.

“Of course. We all did, ’cept Isadora. She’s new since. Your mother was for ever in and out of the house and we all loved her. Didn’t she ever tell you the time she broke her arm falling on the kitchen stairs? And she never cried, if you’ll believe me. Only moaned just a bit, even when the doctor come and fixed it. Miss Frazier was away and old Mr. Frazier, too. So I had to manage. Didn’t she ever tell you?”

Kate had to admit that she had 

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