er own trouble.

In her heart she had wondered a little at the absolute obedience of
Corey, who had made no sign since receiving her note. She would have
liked to ask her father if Corey was sick; she would have liked him to
ask her why Corey did not come any more. Her mother went on--

"I don't believe your father knows WHERE he stands. He works away at
those papers he brings home here at night, as if he didn't half know
what he was about. He always did have that close streak in him, and I
don't suppose but what he's been going into things he don't want
anybody else to know about, and he's kept these accounts of his own."

Sometimes he gave Penelope figures to work at, which he would not
submit to his wife's nimbler arithmetic. Then she went to bed and left
them sitting up till midnight, struggling with problems in which they
were both weak. But she could see that the girl was a comfort to her
father, and that his troubles were a defence and shelter to her. Some
nights she could hear them going out together, and then she lay awake
for their return from their long walk. When the hour or day of respite
came again, the home felt it first. Lapham wanted to know what the
news from Irene was; he joined his wife in all her cheerful
speculations, and tried to make her amends for his sullen reticence and
irritability. Irene was staying on at Dubuque. There came a letter
from her, saying that her uncle's people wanted her to spend the winter
there. "Well, let her," said Lapham. "It'll be the best thing for
her."

Lapham himself had letters from his brother at frequent intervals. His
brother was watching the G. L. & P., which as yet had made no offer for
the mills. Once, when one of these letters came, he submitted to his
wife whether, in the absence of any positive information that the road
wanted the property, he might not, with a good conscience, dispose of
it to the best advantage to anybody who came along.

She looked wistfully at him; it was on the rise from a season of deep
depression with him. "No, Si," she said; "I don't see how you could do
that."

He did not assent and submit, as he had done at first, but began to
rail at the unpracticality of women; and then he shut some papers he
had been looking over into his desk, and flung out of the room.

One of the papers had slipped through the crevice of the lid, and lay
upon the floor. Mrs. Lapham kept on at her sewing, but after a while
she picked t