to which she belonged as a Tresslyn.

Alas, for the memory of old Templeton Thorpe, her one-time intimates in
society were already speaking of her,--absently, of course,--as Anne
Tresslyn. The newspapers might continue to allude to her as the beautiful
Mrs. Thorpe, but that was as far as it would go. Polite society would not
be deceived. It would not deny her the respectability of marriage, to be
sure, but on the other hand, it wouldn't think of her as having been
married to old Mr. Thorpe. It might occasionally give a thought or two to
the money that had once been Mr. Thorpe's, and it might go so far as to
pity Anne because she had been stupid or ill-advised in the matter of a
much-discussed ante-nuptial arrangement, but nothing could alter the fact
that she had never ceased being a Tresslyn, and that there was infinite
justice in the restoration of at least one of the Tresslyns to a state of
affluence. It remains to be seen whether Society's estimate of her was
right or wrong.

Her mother came in for half an hour, and admitted that the baby would be a
good thing for poor George.

"I am rather glad it is coming," she said. "I shall know what to do with
that hateful money she forced me to take back."

"What do you mean, mother?"

Mrs. Tresslyn lifted her lorgnon. "Have you forgotten, my dear?"

"Of course I haven't. But what _do_ you mean?"

"It is perfectly simple, Anne. I mean that as soon as this baby comes I
shall settle the whole of that thirty thousand dollars upon it, and have
it off my mind forever. Heaven knows it has plagued me to--"

"You--but, mother, can you afford to do anything so--"

"My dear, it may interest you to know that your mother possesses a great
deal of that abomination known as pride. I have not spent so much as a
penny of Lutie Car--of my daughter-in-law's money. You look surprised. Have
you been thinking so ill of me as that? Did you believe that I--"

Anne threw her arms about her mother's neck, and kissed her rapturously.

"I see you _did_ believe it of me," said Mrs. Tresslyn drily. Then she
kissed her daughter in return. "I haven't been able to look my daughter-
in-law in the face since she virtually threw all that money back into
mine. I've been almost distracted trying to think of a way to force it
back upon her, so that I might be at peace with myself. This baby will
open the way. It will simplify everything. It shall be worth thirty
thousand dollars in its own right the d