herself, her
hands over her face. Her shoulders were shaking, and from her throat
came choking little cries.

"I don't know," quavered Kate. "I haven't the least idea. She was all
right till she got up-stairs here, and I turned on the lights. Then she
gave one shriek and--you know all I know."

William advanced hurriedly.

"Billy, what is the matter? What are you crying for?" he demanded.

Billy dropped her hands then, and they saw her face. She was not crying.
She was laughing. She was laughing so she could scarcely speak.

"Oh, you did, you did!" she gurgled. "I thought you did, and now I
know!"

"Did what? What do you mean?" William's usually gentle voice was sharp.
Even William's nerves were beginning to feel the strain of the last few
hours.

"Thought I was a--b-boy!" choked Billy. "You called me 'he' once in the
station--I thought you did; but I wasn't sure--not till I saw this room.
But now I know--I know!" And off she went into another hysterical gale
of laughter--Billy's nerves, too, were beginning to respond to the
excitement of the last few hours.

As to the three men and the woman, they stood silent, helpless, looking
into each other's faces with despairing eyes.

In a moment Billy was on her feet, fluttering about the room, touching
this thing, looking at that. Nothing escaped her.

"I'm to fish--and shoot--and fence!" she crowed. "And, oh!--look at
those knives! U-ugh!... And, my! what are these?" she cried, pouncing
on the Indian clubs. "And look at the spiders! Dear, dear, I AM glad
they're dead, anyhow," she shuddered with a nervous laugh that was
almost a sob.

Something in Billy's voice stirred Mrs. Hartwell to sudden action.

"Come, come, this will never do," she protested authoritatively,
motioning her brothers to leave the room. "Billy is quite tired out, and
needs rest. She mustn't talk another bit to-night."

"Of c-course not," stammered William. And only too glad of an excuse to
withdraw from a very embarrassing situation, the three men called back a
faltering good-night, and precipitately fled down-stairs.

CHAPTER IX

A FAMILY CONCLAVE

"Well, William," greeted Kate, grimly, when she came into the
drawing-room, after putting her charge to bed, "have you had enough,
now?"

"'Enough'! What do you mean?"

Kate raised her eyebrows.

"Why, surely, you're not thinking NOW that you can keep this girl here;
are you?"

"I don't know why not."

"William!"

"Well, w