aunt to cover all the expenses of the trip, with even some to
spare. With the extra, Mrs. Carroll insisted upon buying a new hat
for Charlotte. Charlotte that morning showed little emotion. She was
looking exceedingly pretty in the new hat and her little, blue
travelling-gown. Madame Griggs eyed that and reflected that she had
not made it herself, that it must have been a last winter's one,
although it had kept well in style, and she wondered if the
dressmaker who made it had been paid. Charlotte in parting from her
father showed no emotion. He kissed her, and she turned away directly
and entered the train. There was an odd expression on her face. She
had not spoken a word all the morning except to whisper to Eddy to be
still, when he remarked, loudly, on the number of people present at
the station.

"All this crowd isn't going, is it?" he demanded.

"Hush!" Charlotte whispered, peremptorily, and he looked curiously at
her.

"What is the matter with you this morning, anyhow?" he inquired,
loudly. Eddy had in a leash a small and violently squirming puppy,
which had lately strayed to the Carroll place, and been found wagging
and whining ingratiatingly around the stable. Eddy had adopted it,
and even meditated riding in the baggage-car to relieve its
loneliness should the conductor prove intractable concerning its
remaining in the passenger-coach. Eddy, of the whole party of
travellers, was the only one who presented an absolutely undisturbed
and joyously expectant countenance. He had the innocent selfishness
of childhood. He could still be single-eyed as to the future, and yet
blameless. He loved his father, but had no pangs at parting, when the
wonders of the journey and the new country were before him. His heart
also delighted in the puppy, leaping and abortively barking at his
side. He kissed his father good-bye as the train approached, and was
following the others, with the little dog straining at his leash,
when his onward progress was suddenly arrested, another grimy little
hand tugged at the leash.

"Say, what you goin' off with my dog for?" demanded the owner of the
hand, another boy, somewhat older than Eddy, and one of his
schoolmates.

Eddy, belligerent at once, faced about. He caught up the wriggling
puppy with such a quick motion that he was successful and wrenched
the other boy's hand from the leash.

"It isn't your dog. It's my dog. What you talking about?" he growled
back.

"You lie!"

"Lie y