to iron. Aunt Jane dropped on the old lounge and took her
forty winks, then changed her gown, put on a clean white apron, which
Helen knew was for company, and the thought added to her blitheness.
Between three and four Mrs. Dayton drove up in the coupe with Mrs. Van
Dorn, who continued her journeying around. The Mulfords' front-yard was
rather pretty, with two borders of various flowers in bloom, and, as the
younger children had gone over to the woods, it was quiet and serene all
about. Helen glanced out of the side window, and gave thanks for the
decent appearance of the place.

The conversation seemed to be not altogether dispassionate. She heard
Aunt Jane raise her voice, and talk in her dogmatic manner. Oh! what if
she couldn't go! She clasped her hot hands up to her face, and the iron
stood there on the cloth and scorched, a thing Aunt Jane made a fuss
about.

Truth to tell, Mrs. Mulford had two minds pulling her in opposite
directions. It would just spoil Helen to go. She would hate working in
the shop afterward. She would be planning all the time to get to the
High School. She knew enough for ordinary girls. She would have to work
for her living, and she couldn't spend three years getting ready. There
was a little feeling, also, that she didn't want Helen any nicer or
finer than her own girls. They had a father who could help them along.
Helen hadn't. And if education shouldn't do more for her than it had for
her father!

But there was the money, and any kind of work that made actual money was
a great thing in Mrs. Mulford's estimation. Nine or ten weeks.
Twenty-seven or thirty dollars!

"You see, I'd counted on giving Helen a good training in housework this
vacation. When girls go to school they aint good for much that way. And
'long in October she's going in the shop, and then she won't have much
chance to learn. An' I d' know as it'll be a good thing for her to spend
her time readin' novels an' settin' 'round dreamin' and moonin'."

"She'll read a good deal beside novels. Mrs. Van Dorn is a very
intelligent woman, and keeps up to the times. She has all the magazines,
and the fine weekly papers, and she knows more of what is going on in
the big world than most of the men. Then Helen would assist me in many
things. Oh! I would see that she'd learn something useful every day,"
Mrs. Dayton declared, with a bright smile.

"Then she aint fixed up. She's outgrown most of her clothes, an' I'd
'lotted on having