ow, listen, darling," Alexandra said soothingly, kneeling down and
gathering her mother affectionately in her arms, "Owen did every bit of
this except the very first second and, if you'll just FORGET IT, in a
few months he'll be thinking he did it all! Wait until you see him;
he's walking on air! He's dazed. My dear"--the strain of happy
confidence was running smoothly again--"my dear, we lunched together,
and then we went out in the car to Burning Woods, and sat there on the
porch, and talked and TALKED. It was perfectly wonderful! Now, he's
gone to tell his mother, but he's coming back to take us all to dinner.
Is that all right? And, Mother, that reminds me, we are going to live
in the new Settlement House, and have a girl like Justine!"

"WHAT!" Mrs. Salisbury said, smitten sick with disappointment.

"Or Justine herself, if you'll let us have her," Sandy went on. "You
see, living in that big Sargent house--"

"Do you mean that Owen's mother doesn't want to give up that house?"
Mrs. Salisbury asked coldly. "I thought it was Owen's?"

"It IS Owen's, Mother, but fancy living there!" Sandy said vivaciously.
"Why, I'd have to keep seven or eight maids, and do nothing but manage
them, and do just as everyone else does!"

"You'd be the richest young matron in town," her mother said bitterly.

"Oh, I know, Mother, but that seems sort of mean to the other girls!
Anyway, we'd much rather live in the ducky little Settlement house, and
entertain our friends at the Club, do you see? And Justine is to run a
little cooking school, do you see? For everyone says that management of
food and money is the most important thing to teach the poorer class.
Won't that be great?"

"I personally can't agree with you," the mother said lifelessly. "Here
I spend all my life since your babyhood trying to make friends for you
among the nicest people, trying to establish our family upon an equal
basis with much richer people, and you, instead of living as you
should, with beautiful things about you, choose to go down to River
Street, and drudge among the slums!"

"Oh, come, Mother; River Street is the breeziest, prettiest part of
town, with the river and those fields opposite. Wait until we clean it
up, and get some gardens going--"

"As for Justine, I am DONE with her," continued the older woman
dispassionately. "All this has rather put it out of my head, but I
meant to tell you at once, she goes out of my house THIS WEEK! Against
my exp