ng wrong, Pen, nor anything that he's
going to be punished for. Understand that. He's got to have a reason,
if you're not going to have him. I don't say you've got to have him; I
want you should feel perfectly free about that; but I DO say you've got
to give him a reason."

"Is he coming here?"

"I don't know as you'd call it COMING----"

"Yes, you do, father!" said the girl, in forlorn amusement at his
shuffling.

"He's coming here to see ME----"

"When's he coming?"

"I don't know but he's coming to-night."

"And you want I should see him?"

"I don't know but you'd better."

"All right. I'll see him."

Lapham drew a long deep breath of suspicion inspired by this
acquiescence. "What you going to do?" he asked presently.

"I don't know yet," answered the girl sadly. "It depends a good deal
upon what he does."

"Well," said Lapham, with the hungriness of unsatisfied anxiety in his
tone. When Corey's card was brought into the family-room where he and
Penelope were sitting, he went into the parlour to find him. "I guess
Penelope wants to see you," he said; and, indicating the family-room,
he added, "She's in there," and did not go back himself.

Corey made his way to the girl's presence with open trepidation, which
was not allayed by her silence and languor. She sat in the chair where
she had sat the other night, but she was not playing with a fan now.

He came toward her, and then stood faltering. A faint smile quivered
over her face at the spectacle of his subjection. "Sit down, Mr.
Corey," she said. "There's no reason why we shouldn't talk it over
quietly; for I know you will think I'm right."

"I'm sure of that," he answered hopefully. "When I saw that your
father knew of it to-day, I asked him to let me see you again. I'm
afraid that I broke my promise to you--technically----"

"It had to be broken." He took more courage at her words. "But I've
only come to do whatever you say, and not to be an--annoyance to
you----"

"Yes, you have to know; but I couldn't tell you before. Now they all
think I should."

A tremor of anxiety passed over the young man's face, on which she kept
her eyes steadily fixed.

"We supposed it--it was--Irene----"

He remained blank a moment, and then he said with a smile of relief, of
deprecation, of protest, of amazement, of compassion--

"OH! Never! Never for an instant! How could you think such a thing? It
was impossible! I never thought of her. Bu