ies for the men, and I'll get a hot supper for them when I come home. I'd
like to start about ten o'clock."

It sounded so much as if it were all settled that the girl felt that it
really was.

"That leaves mother here alone all day, and I'm not going to do it," John
returned with equal assurance.

"Mother can go with us. I should want her to do that, and I'm sure Aunt
Susan would."

Mrs. Hunter was passing through the room with the broom and dustpan and
paused long enough to say pleasantly:

"Don't count on me, children. I'll take care of myself and get the men a
hot dinner besides. I'd just as soon."

"We'd like to have you go, mother, and I'm sure Aunt Susan would want us
to bring you," Elizabeth replied with a little catch in her breath. If
Mrs. Hunter refused to go, John would not take her if she begged on her
knees.

"No, I don't want to go. I'll get the dinner though, and you needn't hurry
back." She went on upstairs contentedly and with the feeling that she had
arranged the matter to everybody's liking.

"Let her get the dinner then," Elizabeth said, exasperated. "I'll leave
everything ready for it."

"I shall not go and leave her alone all day. She has a hard enough time
out on this farm without getting the feeling that we care as little as
that for her comfort. Besides that, the buggy is not mended yet."

"We can go in the lumber wagon. We didn't have a buggy till long after we
were engaged," Elizabeth said, not going into the matter of leaving his
mother at home, which she knew would be useless.

"I should think you'd want to rest when you did get a chance. You talk all
the time about having too much to do," John replied evasively.

"I wouldn't get any rest," Elizabeth replied quickly. "I'd get a
dinner--that's what I'd have to do if I stayed at home. I'd be on my feet
three solid hours and then have to nurse the baby. That's the rest I'd
have."

"The devil!" was the answer she got as John went out.

The weeks flew past, and still Elizabeth served hot dinners and mourned in
secret over Susan Hornby's neglected kindness. Aunt Susan had been
cheerful as well as discreet during those weeks when she had helped them.
She had been so happy over the evident friendliness of John Hunter that
she had felt sure that the old cordiality was to be resumed.

After what seemed to Elizabeth endless weeks, a curious circumstance aided
her in getting to Aunt Susan's in the end. Mrs. Hunter, who was not
greatl