be."

"No. I did not."

"I just wondered," Mrs. Baxter said, timidly. "Genesis thinks he
heard the little Kirsted girl telling Jane she had plenty of money for
carfare. He thinks they went somewhere on a street-car. I thought maybe
you noticed wheth--"

"I told you I did not."

"All right," she said, placatively. "I didn't mean to bother you, dear."

Following this there was a silence; but no sound of receding footsteps
indicated Mrs. Baxter's departure from the other side of the closed
door.

"Well, what you WANT?" William shouted.

"Nothing--nothing at all," said the compassionate voice. "I just thought
I'd have lunch a little later than usual; not till half past one. That
is if--well, I thought probably you meant to go to the station to see
Miss Pratt off on the one-o'clock train."

Even so friendly an interest as this must have appeared to the quivering
William an intrusion in his affairs, for he demanded, sharply:

"How'd you find out she's going at one o'clock?"

"Why--why, Jane mentioned it," Mrs. Baxter replied, with obvious
timidity. "Jane said--"

She was interrupted by the loud, desperate sound of William's fist
smiting his writing-table, so sensitive was his condition. "This is just
unbearable!" he cried. "Nobody's business is safe from that child!"

"Why, Willie, I don't see how it matters if--"

He uttered a cry. "No! Nothing matters! Nothing matters at all! Do you
s'pose I want that child, with her insults, discussing when Miss Pratt
is or is not going away? Don't you know there are SOME things that have
no business to be talked about by every Tom, Dick, and Harry?"

"Yes, dear," she said. "I understand, of course. Jane only told me she
met Mr. Parcher on the street, and he mentioned that Miss Pratt was
going at one o'clock to-day. That's all I--"

"You say you understand," he wailed, shaking his head drearily at the
closed door, "and yet, even on such a day as this, you keep TALKING!
Can't you see sometimes there's times when a person can't stand to--"

"Yes, Willie," Mrs. Baxter interposed, hurriedly. "Of course! I'm going
now. I have to go hunt up those children, anyway. You try to be back for
lunch at half past one--and don't worry, dear; you really WILL be all
right!"

She departed, a sigh from the abyss following her as she went down the
hall. Her comforting words meant nothing pleasant to her son, who felt
that her optimism was out of place and tactless. He had no intention to