to do something for me he would have done it,
Dorothy," said Mrs. Graham bitterly, and without seeming to notice the
tea she got up and gathered her things together. "I have a headache,"
she said. "I am not coming down again. Father will not be home to-night,
so you can tell Louisa there will be no need to lay the cloth for
dinner. I don't wish any one to come near me." And she went out of the
room.

Poor Dorothy felt dreadfully uncomfortable and crestfallen. She had been
alone all day, and it did seem such a little thing to go to the post
with Helen Jones, who knew all about her costume, and quite agreed with
her that it was a 'horrid shame' for people to be so careless as to have
_fires_, when they had the charge of other people's things.

Louisa had scolded her, and been very cross when she came in, but
Dorothy really saw no reason why it mattered very much what Miss
Addiscombe thought. It wasn't like mother to mind anything like that so
much.

Dick came in about half an hour later. He had been home to dinner, and
had gone out again to a cricket match.

"Mother has gone to bed," said Dorothy rather importantly. "She doesn't
want to be disturbed, and you are not to go to her. She's got a
headache, and father isn't coming home."

[Sidenote: Dick's Strange Silence]

Dick looked at her very hard, and without speaking went straight
upstairs, listened a little, and opened his mother's door. "He _is_ a
tiresome boy!" thought Dorothy; "now mother will think I never told
him."

Louisa brought in a poached egg, and some baked apples as he came down
again.

"Cook says it's so late, you had better make it your supper, sir," she
said.

"Mother wants a hot-water bottle," answered Dick; "she's as cold as ice.
I think you or cook had better go up and see about her. Perhaps she'd
better have a fire."

"A fire in August! Oh, Dick, how _ridiculous_!" exclaimed Dorothy.

"All right, sir," said Louisa, taking the indiarubber bottle he had
brought down; "don't you worry."

Dick took a book, and planting his elbows on the table, seemed to be
reading; in reality he was blinking his eyelashes very hard, to keep
back tears.

Dorothy thought the whole world was going mad. As far as she knew the
only trouble in it was her own.

"Aren't you going to take any supper, Dick?" she said plaintively.

Dick pushed the egg and apples away, and cutting himself a hunch of
bread, went out of the room without speaking.

"Every one is