l stew and delicious
fluffy dumplings, but after the shortcake she appeared without it, and
with a broad-brimmed hat pinned well down over her sharp features.

Nancy checked an exclamation; Miss Sabrina's lips twisted ever so
slightly, though not a word came from them.

B'lindy assumed an added note of defiance by placing her hands on her
hips. "I guess the dishes can wait 'til the cool of the afternoon,"
she said, trying to make her tone casual. "I'm goin' to take Miss
Milly for her airin'."

One might have thought that there was nothing out of the ordinary in
B'lindy's announcement, beyond perhaps, the leaving of the dinner
dishes, but a tense moment followed, when one pair of steely eyes bored
into another pair, just as hard. And Nancy, a little frightened,
realized, with a sort of breathlessness, that she, was witnessing the
invisible conflict of two strong wills. One must weaken--and she
dropped her eyes, for she was swept by a moment's pity.

It was Miss Sabrina's that weakened! The tenseness was broken when she
rose hurriedly from her chair.

"Then it's on your own head, B'lindy Guest," she cried shrilly, "I've
done my duty as I saw it! She's better left alone."

B'lindy, triumphant, threw after her, with a snort; "Duty's duty and
_I_ know that's well as you, but I guess no one's tried the
perscription of happiness for Milly Leavitt and mebbe it ain't too
late!"

Nancy was torn between a wild desire to hug B'lindy and to say a nice
word to Aunt Sabrina, departing majestically from the room. But she
did neither--for both women, at that moment, looked very forbidding.
Instead, as the door closed behind Miss Sabrina, she drew a long
breath. "Suspended sentence," she said, solemnly.

Then, at B'lindy's "What's that?" she laughed back: "The victor's
wreath shall adorn your brow, my worthy ally. While you prepare the
chariot I shall make haste to tell Aunt Milly that all's well with the
world! _Don't_ look at me like that, B'lindy Guest, I'm not
crazy--yet!"

But B'lindy "'lowed" she was, for Nancy seized her by the shoulders and
kissed first one cheek and then the other, and uttered the perfectly
incomprehensible--to B'lindy--remark; "Webb was right!"

CHAPTER IX

DAVY'S CLUB

"The next thing we do is to s'lute the flag of our country. Now, one,
two, three--after me!"

The shrill command floated up to Nancy in her tree-top.

She had just snuggled back against her seat with a long si