try to account for everything
that blows out-of-doors. I have too much to do."

She spoke scornfully and confidently, with defiant, unflinching eyes,
first on the bush, then on Rebecca, and led the way into the house.

"It looked queer," persisted Rebecca, but she followed, and also the
boy with the trunk.

Rebecca entered an interior, prosperous, even elegant, according to her
simple ideas. There were Brussels carpets, lace curtains, and plenty of
brilliant upholstery and polished wood.

"You're real nicely situated," remarked Rebecca, after she had become a
little accustomed to her new surroundings and the two women were seated
at the tea-table.

Mrs. Dent stared with a hard complacency from behind her silver-plated
service. "Yes, I be," said she.

"You got all the things new?" said Rebecca hesitatingly, with a jealous
memory of her dead sister's bridal furnishings.

"Yes," said Mrs. Dent; "I was never one to want dead folks' things, and
I had money enough of my own, so I wasn't beholden to John. I had the
old duds put up at auction. They didn't bring much."

"I suppose you saved some for Agnes. She'll want some of her poor
mother's things when she is grown up," said Rebecca with some
indignation.

The defiant stare of Mrs. Dent's blue eyes waxed more intense. "There's
a few things up garret," said she.

"She'll be likely to value them," remarked Rebecca. As she spoke she
glanced at the window. "Isn't it most time for her to be coming home?"
she asked.

"Most time," answered Mrs. Dent carelessly; "but when she gets over to
Addie Slocum's she never knows when to come home."

"Is Addie Slocum her intimate friend?"

"Intimate as any."

"Maybe we can have her come out to see Agnes when she's living with
me," said Rebecca wistfully. "I suppose she'll be likely to be
homesick at first."

"Most likely," answered Mrs. Dent.

"Does she call you mother?" Rebecca asked.

"No, she calls me Aunt Emeline," replied the other woman shortly. "When
did you say you were going home?"

"In about a week, I thought, if she can be ready to go so soon,"
answered Rebecca with a surprised look.

She reflected that she would not remain a day longer than she could
help after such an inhospitable look and question.

"Oh, as far as that goes," said Mrs. Dent, "it wouldn't make any
difference about her being ready. You could go home whenever you felt
that you must, and she could come afterward."

"Alone?"

"W