But it's nothing serious; merely a
scratch."

Such was John's brief explanation as he entered the dining-room. Mrs.
Hampton asked no questions, but seeing how pale Jess looked, she felt
certain that something out of the ordinary had happened. It did not
take her long to dress the wound, after which the young couple sat down
to their supper.

"You will take Mrs. Grimsby home, will you not, John?" Mrs. Hampton
asked.

"Certainly," was the reply. "You don't mind waiting a while, do you?"
he asked, turning toward the visitor. "I have some chores to do, and
then we will all go for a spin. You will come along too, mother, won't
you?"

"Not this evening, John. I have some work to do. You and Jess go."

"I don't want you to go to any trouble for me," Mrs. Grimsby remarked.
"But I feel that I must get on my way as soon as possible. Gabe may be
home at any minute, and he will be very angry if I am not there when he
comes."

"Don't you worry about Gabe," John assured her. "I shall settle with
him if he makes a fuss when I am there,"

"Oh, but he will wait until you get away, and then he'll begin. He's a
terrible man when he's angry, and he is angry most of the time when
he's home. Be careful about marrying, Miss," and she turned to Jess.
"If you make a mistake and get the wrong man, you might as well put an
end to your life at once. It will be better than slow torture through
the years. I don't blame that poor girl who drowned herself rather
than marry the man she didn't love. You have heard about it, I
suppose. And they haven't found her body yet."

Jess tried not to show any sign of agitation at these words, but her
hands trembled slightly. John noted this, so, pushing back his chair,
he rose from the table.

"You must not judge all men by your husband, Mrs. Grimsby. Gabe is in
a class by himself, and I am sorry for you. Just make yourself as
comfortable as you can here, and I shall hurry up with my work and get
you home as soon as possible."

In about an hour John was ready, and Mrs. Hampton stood at the gate
watching the car as it sped down the road. She was really glad to be
alone, for the events of the afternoon had been of a disturbing nature.
She thought of Hettie and her trials. How astonished the poor woman
would have been had she known the truth about Jess! She went back
again in memory to that night at the hospital almost twenty years ago.
Hettie was a buxom girl then, full of life an