"But I must teach to the earn money for my outfit. I'll have to go
back to school in the same old sailor."

"Don't you care," laughed Nancy Ellen. "We know a secret!"

"That we do!" agreed Kate.

Wednesday Kate noticed Nancy Ellen watching for the boy Robert had
promised to send with the mail as soon as it was distributed, because
she was, herself. Twice Thursday, Kate hoped in vain that the suspense
would be over. It had to end Friday, if John were coming Saturday
night. She began to resent the length of time he was waiting. It was
like him to wait until the last minute, and then depend on money to
carry him through.

"He is giving me a long time to think things over," Kate said to Nancy
Ellen when there was no letter in the afternoon mail Thursday.

"It may have been lost or delayed," said Nancy Ellen. "It will come
to-morrow, surely."

Both of them saw the boy turn in at the gate Friday morning. Each saw
that he carried more than one letter. Nancy Ellen was on her feet and
nearer to the door; she stepped to it, and took the letters, giving
them a hasty glance as she handed them to Kate.

"Two," she said tersely. "One, with the address written in the clear,
bold hand of a gentleman, and one, the straggle of a country
clod-hopper."

Kate smiled as she took the letters: "I'll wager my hat, which is my
most precious possession," she said, "that the one with the beautifully
written address comes from the 'clod-hopper,' and the 'straggle' from
the 'gentleman.'"

She glanced at the stamping and addresses and smiled again: "So it
proves," she said. "While I'm about it, I'll see what the
'clod-hopper' has to say, and then I shall be free to give my whole
attention to the 'gentleman.'"

"Oh, Kate, how can you!" cried Nancy Ellen.

"Way I'm made, I 'spect," said Kate. "Anyway, that's the way this is
going to be done."

She dropped the big square letter in her lap and ran her finger under
the flap of the long, thin, beautifully addressed envelope, and drew
forth several quite as perfectly written sheets. She read them slowly
and deliberately, sometimes turning back a page and going over a part
of it again. When she finished, she glanced at Nancy Ellen while
slowly folding the sheets. "Just for half a cent I'd ask you to read
this," she said.

"I certainly shan't pay anything for the privilege, but I'll read it,
if you want me to," offered Nancy Ellen.

"All right, go ahead," said Kate. "It