had her a witness to the scene which had just passed between him and
his sister. He meant, of course, to tell her and his wife what had
happened, but he meant to put his own interpretation on the affair before
they heard of it from anyone else.

Did his better nature move him? Perhaps it did. He looked around the room
and answered testily: "The law certainly does not require that I return
this money to my sister, and business is business with me. But since my
daughter Gladys and my sister seem to look upon the matter as a case of
sentiment, why I----" He spoke slowly. It was hard work for him to get
the words out. "I will waive strictly business principles on this
occasion, and return the money to my sister."

"O Ralph!" cried Mrs. Thurston, as though a great load was lifted from
her mind. Barbara rejoiced. But in her heart of hearts she thought it was
hard to have her uncle act as though he were doing them a favor when he
was only paying them their just dues.

A few minutes later Gladys and her father withdrew from the room. "I am
so glad," whispered Gladys to Bab, as she passed her cousin on her way
out.

Barbara held her hand just long enough to murmur gently: "Gladys, dear, if
I once did you a kindness, I think you have repaid me a thousand-fold."

It was after ten o'clock when "Mr. A. Bubble" bore the travelers home to
Laurel Cottage. Mollie and Ruth were waiting in the sitting room, with a
fire burning cheerily in the grate and the candles lit over the
mantelpiece. In front of the fire, they had mounted twelve marshmallows,
which they were toasting to a beautiful brown on twelve hatpins.

"We thought you were never coming back, Mummy," said Mollie, taking off
her mother's light wrap. "What has happened to you?" she asked as she
viewed her mother's shining eyes.

"Good news indeed, Mollie baby!" her mother answered. "We are five
thousand dollars richer than we were when we left home. Now, perhaps Bab
can go to Vassar, and things will be a little easier for us, even if the
other money has gone. Mr. Stuart thinks we ought to have twenty-five
dollars a month income from the five thousand dollars! Isn't it too
wonderful?"

"Have a marshmallow, everyone, do," said Ruth, extending her hatpins.
They were comfortably seated around the fire and the subject of the money
had been dropped. "I want all of you to be eating marshmallows except me,
so I can do all the talking. I think I have been a perfect angel. Father,