etty, black-eyed, belle Norine, and
so have I. Now, let's see who'll win."

Mr. Kent found his sister in the kitchen, baking, as Norine had said,
cakes for tea, their fragrant sweetness perfuming the hot air. In very
few words he repeated to her the lawyer's warning.

"We might a seen it ourselves, Hetty, if we hadn't been blinder than
bats. I'll take her up to Abel Merryweather's to-morrow, and just leave
her thar till this ere chap goes."

"Will you tell her, Reuben?" Aunt Hetty asked.

"No; I kinder don't like to, somehow. She'll guess without any telling,
I reckon. If I told her, she might tell him, there ain't never no
countin' on gals, and then he'd be after her hot foot. Least said's
soonest mended. Jest call her down to help you, Hetty, and keep her here
as long as you can. What with his poetry reading, his singing, his fine
talk, and good-lookin' face, he's enough to turn any gal's head."

"It was very good of Mr. Gilbert to tell you, Reuben."

"Very."

They looked at each other, and smiled. Poor Richard Gilbert! Your
cherished secret was very large print after all.

"Mr. Gilbert's her best friend, and sets heaps by her," said Uncle
Reuben rising. "Call the girl at once, Hetty."

He left the kitchen and Aunt Hester obeyed. Norine was summoned from
"Lucille," and Mr. Thorndyke--to look after the cakes, to make tea, to
roll out the short-cake, to butter the biscuits, to set the table. For
once Aunt Hester turned lazy and left everything to Norine. She had not
breathing space until supper was on the table.

After supper it was as bad. Contrary to all precedent, instead of going
to the piano, Norine got a basket of socks to darn. She looked at the
heap and the rents with laughing dismay.

"All these for me, Aunty! I'll never get through in the world, and I
want to practice my new songs with Mr. Thorndyke."

"Mr. Thorndyke will excuse you, I am sure," Aunt Hetty answered quietly.
"You sing a great deal more for him than you darn for me. You darn very
badly--it is time that you learned something useful. Here is your needle
and ball, my dear, go to work at once."

Miss Bourdon made a little wry face; Mr. Thorndyke's laughing blue eyes
looked knowing. Love and music were to be exchanged for cooking and
darning, all thanks to Mr. Gilbert.

Aunt Hester placed herself between her guest and her niece, and kept her
post like a very duenna all the evening. No poetry, no music, no
compliments, no love-making,