ntly. "I am glad you enjoyed it."

"Why, Nellie, didn't you?"

"No."

"Oh!" And Grace clutched her sister by the arm. "What do you mean?"

"I--I can't tell you!" burst out the other, and then she fairly ran for
their room, and, once inside, threw herself on her bed and burst into
tears. Grace came after her, locked the door, and sat down and held
her hand. She thought she understood and determined to ask no more
questions.

"You are going to stay in Ashton over night, are you not?" questioned
Sam, of his brother, as the auto neared Brill.

"Yes."

"I want to see you--to talk about Dad's affairs,--and about Tom," went
on the youngest Rover, in a whisper.

"All right, Sam. I'll get up early and run over here before breakfast.
I'll be at the gate at seven o'clock--if it is clear. I'll see you
first and then talk to Tom;" and so it was arranged.

"Here, what's the secret?" demanded Tom, abruptly.

"Nothing much," answered Sam. "Dick will be over to see us in the
morning, before he and Dora go back."

"Oh, all right." Tom gave a sudden chuckle. "Wish I had brought that
calf along. I could have a barrel of fun with him to-night!"

"You're going right to bed, and so am I," answered Sam. "We've had fun
enough for the present." And then he and his brother said good-bye to
Dora, for they did not expect to see her again for some time to come.

Sam was afraid that Tom might not want to go to bed so soon, but his
fears were groundless. Tom undressed at once and inside of five
minutes was in profound slumber. He occasionally moved uneasily in his
sleep and sighed heavily, but that was all.

"Maybe he ought to have a doctor, but what a doctor can do for him I
don't know," thought Sam, and retired himself, sighing deeply. With
Tom not himself the whole world seemed wrong.

Dick was on hand at the appointed time and Sam was glad to get up to
meet him and know that Tom was still sleeping.

"Well, first of all, I'll have to tell you about Dad," said Dick, as he
ran the auto up the road a bit, out of sight of Brill. "He is not
nearly as well as I would like to see and the doctor says he must not
dream of doing a stroke of work. So that leaves all that New York
business, and that Western business, in my hands."

"Can you manage it, Dick?"

"I've got to manage it, Sam. And in the meantime I've got Mrs.
Stanhope's affairs to look after, and also Dora's money matters. It is
keeping me hustling, I can