oing so
without any aid of hers; and if he ordained to abandon it, as he evidently
did, wild horses could not turn him from his purpose. Therefore Jane gave
up all her aggressive attempts to heal the breach between Howe and
Webster, and contented herself with waving to Lucy over the wall and
calling a cheery greeting to the girl whenever she came within hailing
distance.

Lucy was disappointed by this retreat of her neighbors into their former
aloofness. Of course their action was traceable to Martin. It was his
fault. No doubt he had gone home and berated his sisters for their
friendliness and had so intimidated them that they had no choice but to
bow to his will. Jane was the only one of them anyway who had the spirit
to defy her brother, and presumably she had decided that the game was not
worth the candle. Perhaps, too, she was right. To live in a daily
purgatory made of life a sorry existence. She herself had found that out.

Her aunt was continually becoming more irritable and less sound of
judgment, and there were times when Lucy feared that the warped mind would
give way under the strain of repeated paroxysms of anger. Could Ellen have
been persuaded to surrender the management of her affairs entirely into
her niece's hands, she might have been spared much annoyance; but frail as
she was, she persisted in retaining to the last her scepter of supremacy.

She went each day into the garden and put Tony out of humor by finding
fault with everything he did; having demoralized his temper, she would
return to the house to rasp Lucy's patience by heaping upon the girl's
blameless head such remnants of wrath as she still cherished toward the
long-suffering Portugese.

For sometime she had contented herself with this daily programme, not
varying it by venturing away from the place, even to carry her garden
truck to market. Therefore Lucy was astounded when one morning her aunt
appeared at breakfast, dressed in her shabby black cashmere and wearing
her cameo pin, and announced she was going to drive to town.

"I've an errand to do," she said without preamble, "an' I shan't be home
till noon. You needn't go falutin' over to the Howes', neither, the minute
my back is turned, as you did the last time I went off."

Lucy smiled good-humoredly.

"I'm goin' to see a lawyer," her aunt went on. "Lawyer Benton."

No reply appearing necessary, Lucy did not speak.

"Well!" piped Ellen, after waiting a moment.

"Well, what?"