en like a person who saves the best to the last, she asked with a note
of triumph in her voice:

"Well, how do you think your darling Rosanna looks? I suppose you know
she has gained five pounds while you were away. I think she is vastly
improved. And so happy! My dear, of course, it is hard for us to realize
it, but I think once in awhile it is a good thing to get right out and
let the home people do for themselves and learn to depend on themselves
a little. Don't you?"

Mrs. Horton smiled grimly. "It has certainly not worked out here to any
great advantage, during my absence," she said.

"What?" asked Mrs. Hargrave. "I don't believe I hear you."

Mrs. Horton spoke into the telephone with careful distinctness. "If you
do not know what has happened during my absence," she said, "I will tell
you the state of affairs existing here in my home now, and you may be
able to guess that something serious has occurred. In the first place
Rosanna is in her room on a diet of bread and water. My chauffeur, with
his pushing wife and ordinary child, has been discharged, and told to
vacate to-morrow. Rosanna's maid, Minnie, had been discharged and is
gone. All the servants have had severe scoldings."

There was a long silence, then Mrs. Hargrave said, "Are you crazy?"

"Not at all!" said Mrs. Horton.

"I will be home to-morrow morning," said Mrs. Hargrave. "I'll have to
get there as soon as I can to keep you from making more of your dreadful
mistakes. In the meantime, I am ashamed of you. Don't you go near
Rosanna with your cutting speeches until I see you. Oh, I can't talk to
you! Good-night!"

She rang off and Mrs. Horton slowly replaced the receiver. No, she did
not intend to go near Rosanna. Rosanna was settled for the night so far
as she was concerned. On her way up to bed, she opened the door of
Rosanna's room, and listened. The child was sleeping so calmly that her
grandmother could not even hear her breathe. She could see the little
mound that Rosanna's body made on the bed, but she did not go into the
room. She went on to her own room and sat down to think. The light was
dim; just one small night light burning, and Mrs. Horton sat down in her
favorite lounging chair and gave herself up to her unhappy thoughts. She
was conscious of a feeling of wrongdoing yet she did not recognize it as
such. Instead, she was sure that she had been very deeply wronged. After
all her teaching, after all the years she had spent guarding R