the light with a
snap as she passed. Out in the hall she stopped and held her husband's
arms hard. "Hush!" she whispered. They both listened. They heard this,
in the faintest plaint of a voice:

"They don't believe you are here, Sister Solly, but I do."

Sally dashed back into the rosebud room and switched on the light. She
stared around. She opened a closet door. Then she turned off the light
and joined her husband.

"There was nobody there?" he whispered.

"Of course not."

When they were back in the study the rector and his wife looked at each
other.

"We will do the best we can," said Sally. "Don't worry, Edward, for you
have to write your sermon to-morrow. We will manage some way. I will
admit that I rather wish Content had had some other distant relative
besides you who could have taken charge of her."

"You poor child!" said the rector. "It is hard on you, Sally, for she is
no kith nor kin of yours."

"Indeed I don't mind," said Sally Patterson, "if only I can succeed in
bringing her up."

Meantime Jim Patterson, up-stairs, sitting over his next day's algebra
lesson, was even more perplexed than were his parents in the study.
He paid little attention to his book. "I can manage little Lucy," he
reflected, "but if the others have got hold of it, I don't know."

Presently he rose and stole very softly through the hall to Content's
door. She was timid, and always left it open so she could see the hall
light until she fell asleep. "Content," whispered Jim.

There came the faintest "What?" in response.

"Don't you," said Jim, in a theatrical whisper, "say another word at
school to anybody about your big sister Solly. If you do, I'll whop you,
if you are a girl."

"Don't care!" was sighed forth from the room.

"And I'll whop your old big sister Solly, too."

There was a tiny sob.

"I will," declared Jim. "Now you mind!"

The next day Jim cornered little Lucy Rose under a cedar-tree before
school began. He paid no attention to Bubby Harvey and Tom Simmons,
who were openly sniggering at him. Little Lucy gazed up at Jim, and the
blue-green shade of the cedar seemed to bring out only more clearly the
white-rose softness of her dear little face. Jim bent over her.

"Want you to do something for me," he whispered.

Little Lucy nodded gravely.

"If my new cousin Content ever says anything to you again--I heard her
yesterday--about her big sister Solly, don't you ever say a word about
it to anybody el