r in sorrowful reproval.

Mrs. Milo drew away from the touch of her daughter's hand irritably.
"Now, don't glare at me like that!" she ordered. "The Rectory is not a
reformatory."

"Oh, let's not take that old ruined-girl attitude!" replied Sue,
impatiently. "Laura Farvel doesn't need reforming. She needs kindness
and love."

"Love!" repeated Mrs. Milo, scornfully. "Do you realize that you're
talking about a woman who led your own brother astray?"

"I don't know who did the leading," Sue answered quietly. "As a matter
of fact, they were both very young----"

"Wallace is a good boy!"

"The less we say about Wallace in this matter the better. Why don't
you go to him, mother? He must be very unhappy. He will want advice.
And there's Mr. Balcome--shouldn't you and he take all this up with
Hattie's mother?"

"Wallace will tell Hattie. We can trust him. But I don't want you to
act foolish. Is she going to bring that child to the Rectory?"

"To the home of the child's own father? Why not?"

"Yes! And you'll get attached to her!"

Sue did not guess at the real fear that lay behind her mother's words.
"But you _want_ me to, don't you? I'm attached to a hundred others
there already. And you'll love Barbara, too."

"There! You see?--Wherever a young one is concerned, you utterly
forget your mother!"

"Why--why----" Sue put a helpless hand to her forehead. "Forget you?
I don't see how the little one would make any difference----"

Farvel interrupted, opening the double door a few inches to look in.
"Miss Susan,--just a minute?"

"Can I help?" Without waiting for the protest to be expected from her
mother, Sue hurried out.

Mrs. Milo stayed where she was, staring toward the back-parlor.
"O-o-o-oh! To the Rectory!" she stormed. "It's abominable! I won't
have it! Such an insult!--The creature!"

Someone entered from the hall--noiselessly. It was Tottie, wearing her
best manners, and with a countenance from which, obviously, she had
extracted, as it were, some of the rosy color worn at her earlier
appearance. She had smoothed her bobbed red tresses, too, and a long
motor veil of a lilac tinge made less obtrusive the decollete of the
tea-gown.

"Young woman," began Mrs. Milo, speaking low, and with an air of
confidence calculated to flatter; "this--this Miss Crosby;" (she gave a
jerky nod of her bonnet to indicate the present whereabouts of that
person) "you've known her some time?"

A w