izabeth was not. Miss Gordon moved quietly upstairs. The door of
Elizabeth's room was closed; she tapped, then opened it.

Elizabeth's face, hot and flushed, was raised from her slate. The lamp
was flaring, and the room was stifling and smelt of kerosene. But she
looked up at her aunt with some confidence. She half-expected to be
commended. She was certainly working hard and surely was not doing
anything wrong.

For a moment Miss Gordon stood staring. She was seized with a sudden
fear that perhaps Elizabeth was not quite in her right senses. Then
she noted the extravagant consuming of kerosene in the day-time.

"Elizabeth," she said despairingly, "how is it possible that you can
act so strangely? Is the daylight not good enough that you must shut
yourself up here? Take your books and go downstairs immediately, and
blow out the lamp and tell Sarah Emily to clean it again. Really, I
cannot understand you!"

Elizabeth went tumultuously down the stairs. No, her aunt didn't
understand, that was just the trouble. If she ever showed any signs of
doing so, one might occasionally explain. She flung her books upon the
kitchen table and went out to the back kitchen door and, sitting down
heavily upon a bench there, gave herself up to despair. She gazed
drearily at Malcolm and Jean and listened to the laughter from the lane
without wanting to join either group. Mr. MacAllister had come over a
few minutes earlier, bringing the Pretender as usual. John and the
latter were upstairs. Elizabeth knew they were planning to run away
from her on the Queen's Birthday, but she did not care. She told
herself she did not care about anything any more. Her heart was
broken, and if Mrs. Jarvis were to drive in at the gate that very
moment she would not take ten million dollars from her, though she
begged her on her bended knees.

Miss Gordon went back to her darning on the side porch, and worked at
it feverishly, wondering if the child were really in her right mind.
She had much to worry her these days, poor lady. Her ambition for the
family threatened to be disappointed. Mrs. Jarvis was evidently not
coming. Malcolm and Jean would probably graduate from the High School
and there their education must stop. And Annie was acting so
strangely. She could not but remember that it was just one year ago
that evening that she had bidden Annie dismiss her undesirable suitor.
And now, rumor said the young man bade fair to be hi