ial of four--Mrs. Schofield, Mr. Schofield, and Mr. and Mrs.
Williams, parents of Samuel of that ilk. Mr. Williams read aloud a
conspicuous passage from the last edition of the evening paper:

"Prominent people here believed close relations of woman sentenced to
hang. Angry denial by Mrs. R. Magsworth Bitts. Relationship admitted by
younger member of family. His statement confirmed by boy-friends----"

"Don't!" said Mrs. Williams, addressing her husband vehemently. "We've
all read it a dozen times. We've got plenty of trouble on our hands
without hearing THAT again!"

Singularly enough, Mrs. Williams did not look troubled; she looked as
if she were trying to look troubled. Mrs. Schofield wore a similar
expression. So did Mr. Schofield. So did Mr. Williams.

"What did she say when she called YOU up?" Mrs. Schofield inquired
breathlessly of Mrs. Williams.

"She could hardly speak at first, and then when she did talk, she talked
so fast I couldn't understand most of it, and----"

"It was just the same when she tried to talk to me," said Mrs.
Schofield, nodding.

"I never did hear any one in such a state before," continued Mrs.
Williams. "So furious----"

"Quite justly, of course," said Mrs. Schofield.

"Of course. And she said Penrod and Sam had enticed Roderick away from
home--usually he's not allowed to go outside the yard except with his
tutor or a servant--and had told him to say that horrible creature was
his aunt----"

"How in the world do you suppose Sam and Penrod ever thought of such
a thing as THAT!" exclaimed Mrs. Schofield. "It must have been made up
just for their 'show.' Della says there were just STREAMS going in and
out all day. Of course it wouldn't have happened, but this was the day
Margaret and I spend every month in the country with Aunt Sarah, and I
didn't DREAM----"

"She said one thing I thought rather tactless," interrupted Mrs.
Williams. "Of course we must allow for her being dreadfully excited and
wrought up, but I do think it wasn't quite delicate in her, and she's
usually the very soul of delicacy. She said that Roderick had NEVER been
allowed to associate with--common boys----"

"Meaning Sam and Penrod," said Mrs. Schofield. "Yes, she said that to
me, too."

"She said that the most awful thing about it," Mrs. Williams went on,
"was that, though she's going to prosecute the newspapers, many people
would always believe the story, and----"

"Yes, I imagine they will," said Mrs.