bered the playful account that Traverse had
given him of the trouble he had in keeping Dexie in sight, and how she had
escaped him sometimes by changing hats with one of her friends at the last
moment, and so bewildering him by her changed appearance that it was hard
to catch her until she was almost home.

"I must find out if she has anything against him; perhaps I can speed the
wooing. She will need a protector soon, brave, independent little woman
though she is."

The entrance of his daughters at this moment put an end to his thoughts,
and led him to notice once more the difference between the twins. Gussie
rushed to her rooms at once to view the purchases afresh, but Dexie quietly
slipped to his chair to see if he was asleep.

"Have we been very long, papa? I hope you have not been lonesome or wanted
anything. They kept us so long looking at the things in the store that I
was getting anxious, fearing Jarvis would be too busy to see after you,"
and she smoothed back his hair and stooped to kiss his forehead. "What
shall I do for you before I go to change my dress?"

"Nothing at all." But noticing that Dexie was regarding the daily papers on
the table, added, "Oh, yes! just hand me those papers; I was wishing I
could reach them. There, that is all! be off! be off with you and change
your gown, if you want to!" playfully shoving her at arm's-length, for he
was afraid she was going to ask who had left the papers there.

"They were to-day's papers," she said to herself, as she went to her room.
"Who could have left them? Surely _he_ was not here, for we met him down
street. Papa would have mentioned it at once if he had called, yet those
papers were left here by someone since we went out."

Thus reasoning to herself, Dexie put on her house-dress, intending to
return to her father's room and ask who had called during the afternoon,
but second thoughts prevented her, and she turned to the kitchen to see
what had been provided for her father's supper, or to prepare, if need be,
some little extra dainty to tempt his failing appetite.

Mr. Sherwood unfolded the papers Dexie had laid before him, but they failed
to claim his attention; the events of the afternoon still had possession of
his thoughts.

"Traverse has told on himself by leaving these here, but perhaps she did
not notice the date, and there are always papers lying around the room. I
will not let her question me about them."

But Dexie acted as if the matte