hese forked roads
confronting the career of a young life were important and not to be
lightly dismissed.

"Well, what did you tell him?" he asked, looking down at Jane in the
effort to read her thoughts.

"We are waiting for you to decide, John." The tone was the same she
would have used had the doctor been her own husband and the boy their
child.

Doctor John communed with himself for an instant. "Well, let us take a
vote," he replied with an air as if each and every one in the room was
interested in the decision. "We'll begin with Mistress Martha, and then
Mrs. Dellenbaugh, and then you, Jane, and last our lady from over the
sea. The captain has already sold his vote to his affections, and so
must be counted out."

"Yes, but don't count me in, please," exclaimed Lucy with a merry laugh
as she arose from her seat. "I don't know a thing about it. I've just
told the dear captain so. I'm going upstairs this very moment to write
some letters. Bonjour, Monsieur le Docteur; bonjour, Monsieur le
Capitaine and Madame Dellenbaugh," and with a wave of her hand and a
little dip of her head to each of the guests, she courtesied out of the
room.

When the door was closed behind her she stopped in the hall, threw a
glance at her face in the old-fashioned mirror, satisfied herself of
her skill in preserving its beautiful rabbit's-foot bloom and
freshness, gave her blonde hair one or two pats to keep it in place,
rearranged the film of white lace about her shapely throat, and
gathering up the mass of ruffled skirts that hid her pretty feet,
slowly ascended the staircase.

Once inside her room and while the vote was being taken downstairs that
decided Archie's fate she locked her door, dropped into a chair by the
fire, took the unopened letter from her pocket, and broke the seal.

"Don't scold, little woman," it read. "I would have written before, but
I've been awfully busy getting my place in order. It's all arranged
now, however, for the summer. The hotel will be opened in June, and I
have the best rooms in the house, the three on the corner overlooking
the sea. Sue says she will, perhaps, stay part of the summer with me.
Try and come up next week for the night. If not I'll bring Sue with me
and come to you for the day.

"Your own Max."

For some minutes she sat gazing into the fire, the letter in her hand.

"It's about time, Mr. Max Feilding," she said at last with a sigh of
relief as she rose from her seat and tucked