and put her back into a life of which she
could approve. With self-respect restored, Elizabeth was the kind of woman
who would take hold of the merely unpleasant features of her life, and in
time find a way of overcoming them. A plan began to formulate in Hugh
Noland's head.

The next morning Hepsie came and asked for a few days off to get some
needed sewing done. With Hugh's illness and the extra work of it she had
let her own work drag till she felt that she could neglect it no longer.
Elizabeth let her go, thinking guiltily that there would be less danger of
the discovery she seemed to be ever fearing these days. How they had gone
so long without it she could not understand. To get her dinner dishes out
of the way early she put Jack to sleep immediately after they were through
eating and then hurried the dishes so as to get in a long afternoon's
reading. The dishes took a long time in spite of her efforts to hurry.
When at last she did finish she hastened to the bedroom with a glass of
water in her hand. Hugh had been thinking seriously and was worn out with
the tangle of wrongdoing in which he found himself, the solution of which
involved such unsatisfactory changes, and now just weakly wanted to be
loved. He did not speak, but after the tablet was swallowed invited a kiss
by a glance of the eye, and when it was given, drew her head down on his
breast and lay patting it.

Jack had wakened and toddled into the room on his sleepy little legs. The
child staggered over to his mother and laid his head against her arm,
murmuring sleepily:

"Love oo too!"

Elizabeth Hunter sprang to her feet as if a clap of thunder had
unexpectedly sent its report through the hot afternoon air. Her guilty
eyes sought Hugh's. Jack encircled her knees with his fat little arms and,
standing on his tiptoes to be taken, repeated:

"Love oo too!"

There was a noise at the well and Elizabeth, glad of a chance to escape
from the room, went out. John was pumping water over a jug to cool it
before he filled it. The sight of the man who was her husband had a
curious effect on Elizabeth; everything in her, mentally and physically,
became chaotic, her ears buzzed, her temples throbbed, and there was an
inner shrinking which could scarcely be controlled. John had seen her and
waited for her to come out to the well.

When the jug was full, John leaned forward to kiss Jack and a sick sort of
fear took hold of her lest he would offer to kiss her al