ou?"

"Course he will," said Elihu. "That's the way they do--come drivin'
along a time o' day when there's no menfolks to home, and take in the
womenfolks. They know women ain't got no business trainin'. How do they
know it? Because they've tried it over 'n' over, and every time they've
come out ahead."

The tears were dropping now, and Amarita walked hastily away to conceal
them, and got down her dish-pan, although the table was not yet cleared.
By the time she had turned from the sink again, a shadow of her
hopefulness came wanly back.

"I don't believe he's that kind of a fellow," she faltered. "He talked
real fair. I thought I should admire to look 'em over. I thought maybe
we could read some out loud in the evenin', while your mother knit."

"'Talk fair!' Course he talked fair," said Elihu. "That's a part on 't.
I'll bet a dollar if you's in a court o' law you couldn't remember what
he said."

"I could the sense of it."

"That's it! Why, don't ye know, when anything's business, it's got to be
jest so and no other way? 'Tain't surprisin' you shouldn't. Womenfolks
ain't called on to do brain work, any to speak of--well, keep school
they may, and a matter o' that--but when it comes to business--d'ye have
any witnesses?"

"No," said Amarita, in a small voice.

"Well, you've done about as bad for yourself as ye could, fur 's I can
see. Now, you hearken to me. You leave that packin'-case where he set
it, and don't you move it so much as a hair to the right or the left,
and don't you lift the cover. And if that feller ever darkens these
doors, you come and call me."

Then Elihu rose and took a candle and went off to his desk in the
sitting-room, and Amarita cleared the table with swift, sweeping
motions, as if she longed to hurl the dishes from her. Old Mis' Meade
came heavily back from her bedroom.

"Well," said she, in the scorn sprung from experience, "I never seen
sich actions. Terrible time, an' nobody to it! What made ye tell him?"

Amarita returned no answer. She was washing dishes now, with no noise,
setting down each article softly, yet with the same air of longing to
destroy.

"Witnesses!" old Mis' Meade grumbled, settling to her work by the
window. "If Elihu's the size he used to be, I'd show him how much
womenfolks knew about business. If you want one o' them books to read
to-night, you step into the front entry an' pick ye out one. I'll stand
by ye."

Still Amarita made no answer. She was no