other evening I shall be happy
to see you."

As for Marion, she would have decidedly enjoyed saying it. But Flossy,
she could never have explained it to him. Her voice would have trembled
too much, and her heart beat too hard. The very most that she could do
was to keep her lips closed. No invitation from her should pass them,
and this in itself was five times more of a cross than it would have
been for either of the others to have spoken.

However, it did no good. Col. Baker's friendship was on too assured a
footing to wait for ceremony. He had received too many invitations of
that nature to even notice the omission now. Though Flossy paused and
turned toward him he did not notice it, but himself opened the door for
her and passed in at her side, talking still about some matter connected
with his plans for the evening, that had been overthrown by her strange
propensity for church.

She did not hear him at all; she was both grieved and annoyed. If only
she dared go directly to her room! If she had been Ruth Erskine it would
have been done in a moment.

They sat down in the back parlor, and it was made evident to Flossy that
the entertainment of Col. Baker would be considered her special duty.
The library door was closed, and the sound of subdued voices there told
that Kitty Shipley and her suitor were having a confidential talk. Kitty
wouldn't help, then. Mrs. Shipley had retired, and Mr. Shipley sat at
the drop light reading the journal. He glanced up at their entrance,
gave Col. Baker the courteous and yet familiar greeting that welcomed
him as a special friend of the house, and then went on with his reading.
As for her brother Charlie, he had not come in, and probably would not
for hours to come.

What was there for Flossy to do but to take a seat and talk to Col.
Baker? Yet how she shrank from it! She wanted to be alone, to go over in
her heart all the sweet and blessed experiences of the day, for this day
had helped her much. She wanted to think about those boys in the school,
and form plans for their future, and try to decide whether it could be
that they would really like her for a teacher, and whether Dr. Dennis
would let her undertake the class. Why would not Col. Baker go home?

"What is the matter with you?" he asked, studying her face curiously,
and with a doubtful sound in his voice. "I don't believe that strange
freak of yours did you any good."

"It did me more good than anything that ever happene