elling the truth. So she said:

"I know how it began--her getting mad with you. I don't understand why."

"How did it begin?"

Ethel Blue looked about wildly. Dorothy and Della were thumping away
vigorously. There was no possibility for escape.

"Mr. Clark told us--Ethel Brown and me--that you said you thought Miss
Merriam was going away soon. We were wild, because we love her so--"

There was a strange mumble from the Doctor.

--"and she's so splendid with Ayleesabet. We asked her the minute we
saw her if she was going away. She said she hadn't any idea of it and
she asked us how we came to think so, and we told her what Mr. Clark had
said."

"Great Scott! What did she say then?"

"Oh, Miss Gertrude and Aunt Louise said, 'why should Edward have said
such a thing?' And Aunt Louise said, 'unless he wanted it to be true'."

"Ah, your Aunt Louise is a woman of intelligence!"

Edward smiled, though somewhat miserably. Ethel Blue was warming to her
subject.

"Miss Gertrude said you were too sure and it was humiliating, and she
went up stairs and she's never been the same since then. I don't know
why it was humiliating, but she was angry right through."

"I've noticed that," said Edward reminiscently. "Now let me see just
what she meant. She was told that I said I thought she was going away
soon. 'Thought' or 'hoped'?"

"'Thought.' Did you say it?"

"And your Aunt Louise said that I must have wanted it to be true," went
on Edward slowly, unheeding Ethel Blue's question. "And Gertrude--Miss
Merriam said I was too sure and that it was humiliating. Is that
straight?"

"Yes. Did you say it?"

Ethel Blue was beginning to think that if she was giving so much
information she ought to be given a little in return.

"Do you know what I think about it?" asked Edward, again ignoring
Ethel's question. "I don't wonder a bit that she was as mad as hops. Any
girl would have been."

"Why?"

"Do you really want me to tell you? Well," continued Edward in her ear,
"I dare say you've guessed that I'm in love with Miss Merriam."

Ethel drew a deep breath and stared open-mouthed at Dr. Watkins, who
nodded at her gravely.

"I love her very much, and one day she was especially kind to me and I
went walking down the street like a peacock and plumped right on to Mr.
Clark. We walked along together and he said something about Miss
Merriam, and I was jackass enough to say that I hoped--not _thought_,
Ethel Blue, but _hoped_; d