irl as you, too, to
be taken in by the romancing of penny-a-liners! They always make the
worst of things in newspapers in order to sell them."

"Oh! then you think things aren't as bad as newspapers say?"

"Nothing like; but they must write something for people to read, and the
more sensational it is the better people like it."

Elisabeth was comforted; and she never knew that Christopher did not
leave the house that day without asking Miss Farringdon if, for a few
weeks, the daily paper might be delivered at the works and sent up to
the Willows afterward, as he wanted to see the trade-reports the first
thing in the morning. This was done; and sometimes Christopher
remembered to send the papers on to the house, and sometimes he did not.
On these latter occasions Miss Farringdon severely reproved him, and
told him that he would never be as capable a man as his uncle had been,
if he did not endeavour to cultivate his memory; whereat Chris was
inwardly tickled, but was outwardly very penitent and apologetic,
promising to try to be less forgetful in future. And he kept his word;
for not once--while the epidemic in the South of France lasted--did he
forget to forget to send the newspaper up to the Willows when there was
anything in it calculated to alarm the most timid reader.

"Cousin Maria," said Elisabeth, a few days after this, "I hear that
Coulson's circus is coming to Burlingham, and I want to go and see it."

Miss Farringdon looked up over the tops of her gold-rimmed spectacles.
"Do you, my dear? Well, I see no reason why you should not. I have been
brought up to disapprove of theatres, and I always shall disapprove of
them; but I confess I have never seen any harm in going to a circus."

It is always interesting to note where people draw the line between
right and wrong in dealing with forms of amusement; and it is doubtful
whether two separate lines are ever quite identical in their curves.

"Christopher could take me," Elisabeth continued; "and if he couldn't,
I'm sure Alan would."

"I should prefer you to go with Christopher, my dear; he is more
thoughtful and dependable than Alan Tremaine. I always feel perfectly
happy about you when you have Christopher to take care of you."

Elisabeth laughed her cousin to scorn. She did not want anybody to take
care of her, she thought; she was perfectly able to take care of
herself. But Miss Farringdon belonged to a time when single women of
forty were supposed to re