aid she will grow worse----"

"You poor child!" shuddered the Harvester. "I see! I understand! What
you need is quiet and a good rest."

He placed her in a big easy chair and sitting on the hearth rug he
leaned against her knee and said, "Now tell me, unless you are so tired
that you should go to bed."

"I couldn't possibly sleep until I have told you," said the Girl.

"If you're merciful, cut it short!" implored the Harvester.

"I think it begins," she said slowly, "when I went because you sent me
and I didn't want to go. Of course, as soon as I saw grandfather and
grandmother, heard them talk, and understood what their lives had been,
and what might have been, why there was only one thing to do, as I could
see it, and that was to compensate their agony the best I could. I think
I have, David. I really think I have made them almost happy. But I told
them all any one could tell about you in the start, and from the first
grandmother would have been on your side; but you see how grandfather
is, and he was absolutely determined that I should live with them, in
their home, all their lives. He thought the best way to accomplish that
would be to separate me from you and marry me to the son of his partner.

"There are rooms packed with the lovely things they bought me, David,
and everything was as I wrote you. Some of the people who came were
wonderful, so gracious and beautiful, I loved almost all of them. They
took me places where there were pictures, plays, and lovely parties, and
I studied hard to learn some music, to dance, ride and all the things
they wanted me to do, and to read good books, and to learn to meet
people with graciousness to equal theirs, and all of it. Every day I
grew stronger and met more people, and there were different places to
go, and always, when anything was to be done, up popped Mr. Herbert
Kennedy and said and did exactly the right thing, and he could be
extremely nice, David."

"I haven't a doubt!" said the Harvester, laying hold of her kimono.

"And he popped up so much that at last I saw he was either pretending
or else he really was growing very fond of me, so one day when we were
alone I told him all about you, to make him see that he must not. He
laughed at me, and said exactly what you did, that I didn't love you
at all, that it was gratitude, that it was the affection of a child. He
talked for hours about how grandfather and grandmother had suffered,
how it was my duty to live wi