ndest hopes. He had doubtless been in Lois's
fullest confidence from the first; and darkest of all, it was wholly
likely, now that she had broken with Holton, that Amzi was supplying her
with the means of subsistence in the capitals of Europe. Around this
last thought they rallied.

"Of course, if Lois should really be in need, Amzi," said Mrs. Waterman,
"it would be the duty of all of us to help her; that would only be
right. But even if it comes to that we should have to consider Phil,
too. When you think of everything, our responsibility is much greater
for Phil than for Lois. Phil is here; her life's before her; she's one
_of_ us, you know, Amzi."

"Right, Josie; you are mighty right. What you mean is that if it came to
a question of Lois's starving in Europe and Phil's starving on our
doorsteps, we'd help Phil first because she's right here under our
noses. But I don't understand that Lois is starving; nor is Phil for
that matter. Phil's all right."

The thought that he was sending money to Lois was disagreeable; that he
should be doing so when Phil's needs cried so stridently aroused the
direst apprehensions. They had all received from Amzi their exact
proportion of their father's estate; even Waterman had never been able
to find a flaw in the adjustment. Through Waterman they had learned that
Lois's proper receipt was on file; they knew exactly the date on which
it had been placed of record in the county clerk's office. They had
looked upon this as the final closing of all the doors that shut this
sister out of their calculations. They, or their children, were
potential beneficiaries in Amzi's property if he ultimately died a
bachelor. And there was no telling when his asthma might be supplemented
by a fatal pneumonia. This was never to be whispered in so far as the
chances of their own offspring were concerned; but of Phil and the
propriety of her expectations they might speak with entire candor.

"While we are talking of these matters," observed Mrs. Hastings, "we may
as well face one or two things that have troubled us all a good deal.
You know as well as we do that poor Tom has gradually been playing out;
it's pitiful the way he has been letting his business go. Every one
knows that he has ability, but he's been living more and more up in the
air. He owns the block over there and the rent he gets from that is
about all he has. And I shouldn't be at all surprised if the block had
been mortgaged."

"I've