eek against the girl's
face.

"My darling!" she said in a low, tense voice. "I have made a horrible
mistake!"

The spoken words started a flood of tears which until then Marian had
been able to restrain. The full weight of the responsibility again
rushed over her. She had dared to interfere in two lives which should
have been allowed to find their own expression, she had dared to pit her
human judgment against Nature. What would be the final outcome? With
Merry, she could not believe it would result in anything more serious
than a further confusion of ideals, but with Hamlen she knew well how
disastrous the effect must be. How could she make matters clear to this
dear child when her own brain was so bewildered!

But when the tears had relieved the tension, and Marian felt the
sympathetic encouragement of the heart beating against her own, the
mother love, as always, rose triumphant over mental and physical
limitations. During the next hours, amid confidences and revelations
which enabled each at last to understand the other, mother and daughter
experienced that rare communion which had been denied them, but which
was theirs by right. The sacrifice Merry had been ready to make
accomplished its purpose without necessity of execution; the sincerity
of her mother's purpose became clear, and the girl discovered the
natural refuge where she might always find relief from overpowering
perplexities. When they went down-stairs together, with arms around each
other, and strolled out into the rose-garden, there was a new meaning to
the sunlight and to the fragrance of the flowers. Marian saw in it a
promise that her morning supplication might not have been in vain.

* * * * *

The telephone message from Huntington that Hamlen had been located and
that all was well relieved Marian's apprehensions, and left her with
such thankfulness and joy that she was able to join her remaining guests
in the day's activities. How all could be well she was unable to
comprehend, for the shock to Hamlen's nature must have been too great
for easy convalescence; but at all events the worst had not happened,
and until Huntington returned no further details could be obtained.
Merry, too, entered into the family life for the first time with any
show of interest. Philip and Billy, who now alone remained of Philip's
friends, annexed themselves in the absence of something better to do.
Billy was still disgruntled, but his