fled now to settle down without--more
ruffling. So you're not going away leaving it in any such distressing
state, are you?" she concluded with a smile which lighted her face with a
fine seriousness.

She made a last stand. "But you don't know. You don't understand."

"No, I don't know. And don't think I ever need know, as a matter of
obligation. But should there ever come a time when you feel I would
understand, understand enough to help, then I should be glad and proud to
know, for it would make me feel I was no longer an outsider. And let me
tell you something. In whatever school you learned about life, there's
one thing they taught you wrong. They've developed you too much in
suspicion. They didn't give you a big enough course in trust. All the
people in this world aren't designing and cruel. Why the old globe is
just covered with beautiful people who are made happy in doing things for
the people about them."

"I haven't met them," were the words which came from the sob.

"I see you haven't; that's why I want you to. Your education has been
one-sided. So has mine. Perhaps we can strike a balance. What would you
think of our trying to do that?"

The wonder of it seemed stealing up upon the girl, growing upon her. "You
mean," she asked, in slow, hushed voice, "that I should stay
here--here?--as a friend of yours?"

"Stay here as a friend--and become a friend," came the answer,
quick and true.

So true that it went straight to the girl's heart. Tears came, different
tears, tears which were melting something. And yet, once again she
whispered: "But I don't understand."

"Try to understand. Stay here with me and learn to laugh and be foolish,
that'll help you understand. And if you're ever in the least oppressed
with a sense of obligation--horrid thing, isn't it?--just put it down
with, 'But she likes it. It's fun for her.' For really now, Ann, I hope
this is not going to hurt you, but I simply can't help getting fun out of
things. I get fun out of everything. It's my great failing. Not a
particularly unkind sort of fun, though. I don't believe you'll mind it
as you get used to it. My friends all seem to accept the fact that
I--enjoy them. And then my curiosity. Well, like the eggs. It's not
entirely to make you stronger. It's to see whether the things I've always
heard about milk and eggs are really so. See how it works--not altogether
for the good of the works, you see? Oh, I don't know. Motives are
slippery