s,
and half with the habit of prosperity in her child, which could
conceive no better of what adversity was. "And I want you should get
up and show that you've got some feeling for somebody in the world
besides yourself."

"Oh, I'll get UP!" said the girl promptly, almost cheerfully.

"I don't say it's as bad now as it looked a little while ago," said her
mother, conscientiously hedging a little from the statement which she
had based rather upon her feelings than her facts. "Your father thinks
he'll pull through all right, and I don't know but what he will. But I
want you should see if you can't do something to cheer him up and keep
him from getting so perfectly down-hearted as he seems to get, under
the load he's got to carry. And stop thinking about yourself a while,
and behave yourself like a sensible girl."

"Yes, yes," said the girl; "I will. You needn't be troubled about me
any more."

Before she left her room she wrote a note, and when she came down she
was dressed to go out-of-doors and post it herself. The note was to
Corey:--

"Do not come to see me any more till you hear from me. I have a reason
which I cannot give you now; and you must not ask what it is."

All day she went about in a buoyant desperation, and she came down to
meet her father at supper.

"Well, Persis," he said scornfully, as he sat down, "we might as well
saved our good resolutions till they were wanted. I guess those
English parties have gone back on Rogers."

"Do you mean he didn't come?"

"He hadn't come up to half-past five," said Lapham.

"Tchk!" uttered his wife. "But I guess I shall pull through without
Mr. Rogers," continued Lapham. "A firm that I didn't think COULD
weather it is still afloat, and so far forth as the danger goes of
being dragged under with it, I'm all right." Penelope came in. "Hello,
Pen!" cried her father. "It ain't often I meet YOU nowadays." He put
up his hand as she passed his chair, and pulled her down and kissed her.

"No," she said; "but I thought I'd come down to-night and cheer you up
a little. I shall not talk; the sight of me will be enough."

Her father laughed out. "Mother been telling you? Well, I WAS pretty
blue last night; but I guess I was more scared than hurt. How'd you
like to go to the theatre to-night? Sellers at the Park. Heigh?"

"Well, I don't know. Don't you think they could get along without me
there?"

"No; couldn't work it at all," cried the Colonel.