said Charlotte, breathlessly. "If I can get
my courage up. You know Mr. Murdock, with that decorating house where
the Deckers had their work done? Well, some day I'm going to show him.
But I'm so frightened at my own audacity!"

"If he doesn't like this, he's a fool!" declared Jeff, vigorously, and
although Charlotte laughed she felt the encouragement of his boyish
approval. Putting away her work, she suddenly remembered the excuse her
brother had given for forcing his way into her room.

"You said you had important news for me. Did you mean it, or was that
only to get in?"

"Oh," said Jeff sitting down suddenly and looking up at her, his face
growing grave. "You put it out of my head when I came in. I met the
doctor just now. He'd been to see Annie Donohue. She's worse."

Charlotte dropped her work instantly. "Worse?" she said, all the
brightness flying from her face. "Why, I was in yesterday, and she
seemed much better. Jeff, I must go down there this minute."

"It's after ten--you can't. Wait till morning."

"Oh, no!" The girl was making ready as she spoke. "You'll go with me.
Think of the baby. There'll be a houseful of women, all wailing, if
anything goes wrong with Annie. They did it before, when they thought
she wasn't doing well. The baby was so frightened. She knows me. Of
course I must go. Think what mother would do for Annie--after all the
years Annie was such a faithful maid."

That brought Jeff round at once. In ten minutes he and Charlotte had
quietly left the house. A rapid walk through the crisp January night
brought them to the poorer quarter of the town and the Donohue cottage.
A woman with a shawl over her head met them just outside.

"Annie's gone," she said, at sight of Charlotte. "Took a turn for the
worse an hour ago. I never thought she'd get well, she's had too hard a
life with that brute of a man of hers."

Charlotte stood still on the door-step when the woman had gone on. She
was thinking hard. Jeff remained quiet beside her. Charlotte had known
more of Annie than he; Annie had been Charlotte's nurse.

All at once Charlotte turned and laid a hand on his arm. "Jeff," she
said, very softly and close to his ear, "we must take little Ellen home
with us to-night."

"What!"

"Yes, we must. She's such a shy little thing. Every time I've been here
I've found her frightened half to death. It worried Annie dreadfully."

"Well--but, Charlotte--some of these women can take care of her--Anni