at bit about her head being among the toast and cake," he went on,
"would be convincing circumstantial evidence of a tragedy if it had been
any other woman's head, but it doesn't count with Lorraine--I mean
it doesn't represent the complete abandonment to grief which would be
implied if it happened in the case of any one else. You must remember
that when Lorraine wants to have a comfortable cry she's got to choose
between putting her head in the jam on the sofa, or among the wet paint
and brushes in the easy-chair, or among the crumbs on the tea-table.
As for that photograph, it probably fell off the mantel-piece to the
tea-table, instead of falling, as usual, into the coal-hod. To sum up,
my dear Clarry, if you had remembered the extreme emotionalism of
your sister Lorraine's temperament and the--er--eccentricity of her
housekeeping, you would not have permitted yourself to be so sadly
misled. Not remembering it, you've done a lot of mischief. All these
things being so, no one will believe them. And to-night, when you are
safely tucked into your little bed, if you hear the tramping of many
feet on the asphalt walks you may know what it will mean. It will mean
that your mother and father, and Elizabeth, and Grandma Evarts and
Maria and Peggy will be dropping in on Lorraine, each alone and quite
casually, of course, to find out what there really is in this terrible
rumor. And some of them will believe to their dying day that there was
something in it."

Well, that made me feel very unhappy. For I could see that under Tom's
gay exterior and funny way of saying things he really meant every
word. Of course I told him that I had wanted to help Lorraine and Peggy
because they were so wretched, and he made me promise on the spot that
if ever I wanted to help him I'd tell him about it first. Then he went
off to the hotel looking more cheerful, and I was left alone with my sad
thoughts.

When I got into the house the first thing I saw was Billy sneaking out
of the back door. I had meant to have a long and earnest talk with Billy
the minute he got home, and point out some of his serious faults, but
when I looked at him I saw that mamma or grandma had just done it. He
looked red eyed and miserable, and the minute he saw me he began
to whistle. Billy never whistles except just before or just after
a whipping, so my heart sank, and I was dreadfully sorry for him. I
started after him to tell him so, but he made a face at me and ran;