ng, that he found these square-elbowed subjects refusing to be jostled
aside by any trivialities.

So he sat there silent in the semi-darkness. This man, whose lightest
experience would have aroused the eager attention of the entire party,
held his peace because he thought he had nothing to say.

He took Helen back to Mrs. Renwick's about ten o'clock. They walked
slowly beneath the broad-leaved maples, whose shadows danced under the
tall electric lights,--and talked.

Helen was an affectionate, warm-hearted girl. Ordinarily she would have
been blind to everything except the delight of having her brother once
more with her. But his apparently cold reception had first chilled,
then thrown her violently into a critical mood. His subsequent social
inadequacy had settled her into the common-sense level of everyday life.

"How have you done, Harry?" she inquired anxiously. "Your letters have
been so vague."

"Pretty well," he replied. "If things go right, I hope some day to have
a better place for you than this."

Her heart contracted suddenly. It was all she could do to keep from
bursting into tears. One would have to realize perfectly her youth, the
life to which she had been accustomed, the lack of encouragement she
had labored under, the distastefulness of her surroundings, the pent-up
dogged patience she had displayed during the last two years, the
hopeless feeling of battering against a brick wall she always
experienced when she received the replies to her attempts on Harry's
confidence, to appreciate how the indefiniteness of his answer
exasperated her and filled her with sullen despair. She said nothing for
twenty steps. Then:

"Harry," she said quietly, "can't you take me away from Mrs. Renwick's
this year?"

"I don't know, Helen. I can't tell yet. Not just now, at any rate."

"Harry," she cried, "you don't know what you're doing. I tell you I
can't STAND Mrs. Renwick any longer." She calmed herself with an effort,
and went on more quietly. "Really, Harry, she's awfully disagreeable. If
you can't afford to keep me anywhere else--" she glanced timidly at his
face and for the first time saw the strong lines about the jaw and the
tiny furrows between the eyebrows. "I know you've worked hard, Harry
dear," she said with a sudden sympathy, "and that you'd give me more,
if you could. But so have I worked hard. Now we ought to change this in
some way. I can get a position as teacher, or some other work somewhere.