had it not been for the fear she entertained of his creating
a scene. Jennie talked it over with her mother, and Mrs. Gerhardt in
turn spoke of it to Bass, whose advice was to brave it out.

"Don't worry," he said; "he won't do anything about it. I'll talk
to him if he says anything."

The scene did occur, but it was not so unpleasant as Mrs. Gerhardt
had feared. Gerhardt came home during the afternoon, while Bass,
Jennie, and George were at work. Two of the younger children went to
the train to meet him. When he entered Mrs. Gerhardt greeted him
affectionately, but she trembled for the discovery which was sure to
come. Her suspense was not for long. Gerhardt opened the front bedroom
door only a few minutes after he arrived. On the white counterpane of
the bed was a pretty child, sleeping. He could not but know on the
instant whose it was, but he pretended ignorance.

"Whose child is that?" he questioned.

"It's Jennie's," said Mrs. Gerhardt, weakly.

"When did that come here?"

"Not so very long ago," answered the mother, nervously.

"I guess she is here, too," he declared, contemptuously, refusing
to pronounce her name, a fact which he had already anticipated.

"She's working in a family," returned his wife in a pleading tone.
"She's doing so well now. She had no place to go. Let her alone."

Gerhardt had received a light since he had been away. Certain
inexplicable thoughts and feelings had come to him in his religious
meditations. In his prayers he had admitted to the All-seeing that he
might have done differently by his daughter. Yet he could not make up
his mind how to treat her for the future. She had committed a great
sin; it was impossible to get away from that.

When Jennie came home that night a meeting was unavoidable.
Gerhardt saw her coming, and pretended to be deeply engaged in a
newspaper. Mrs. Gerhardt, who had begged him not to ignore Jennie
entirely, trembled for fear he would say or do something which would
hurt her feelings.

"She is coming now," she said, crossing to the door of the front
room, where he was sitting; but Gerhardt refused to look up. "Speak to
her, anyhow," was her last appeal before the door opened; but he made
no reply.

When Jennie came in her mother whispered, "He is in the front
room."

Jennie paled, put her thumb to her lip and stood irresolute, not
knowing how to meet the situation.

"Has he seen?"

Jennie paused as she realized from her mother's face and