----"

Patience dismissed Grace's attempt to apologize with a wave of her hand.
"Oh, that is all right. It is what I came here to tell you. You may
believe it or not, but Kathleen West has actually invited me to go to
that illustrated lecture on 'Mexico' at the Overton theatre on Wednesday
evening."

"And you are going?" Grace could not keep a slight constraint from her
tone. Her resentment against the newspaper girl still lived. Despite the
long, intimate talk she had with her father, she could not quite forget
that Kathleen had been partly responsible for the unhappy hours she had
spent before going home to Oakdale.

"Yes," Patience replied. There was a note of finality in her voice. "I
believe it is best, Grace. In fact, I am sure it is."

Grace stood staring moodily at Patience. A struggle against her own
personal feelings was going on within her. Suddenly her face cleared,
and with a little, rueful smile she held out her hand to the other girl.
"I'm truly glad you are going with her, Patience. I thought I wasn't,
but I am. I can't imagine why I don't outgrow my resentment against that
girl. I don't understand myself lately."

"I knew you would agree with me." Patience still held Grace's hand in
hers. "Now that the ice has been broken--you know you asked us not to
mention Kathleen to you--I can say something I've wanted to tell you for
a week. There has been a slight change for the better in Kathleen since
Christmas. I don't know what has brought it about, but she is less hard
and bitter than she used to be. She is terribly blue, though, and the
other day I came into the room and found her crying. Just imagine
Kathleen West in tears if you can. She wiped them away post haste and I
pretended I hadn't noticed that she was crying. One can't sympathize
with her, you know. She wouldn't like it. She prides herself on her
stoicism."

"I wonder what happened," mused Grace.

"She has been writing every evening on her play," continued Patience,
"until last night. I was hard at work on my Horace, when suddenly she
said, 'Oh, what's the use?' and began tearing up everything she'd
written. 'I could see,' to quote Elfreda, that she was in one of her
black moods, so I never said a word. I think her conscience is troubling
her. Perhaps one of these days she will find herself and surprise all of
us."

"I hope so," said Grace without enthusiasm. "By the way, I meant to tell
you of Arline's and my plan. We are going to propo