ose dignity has been
irretrievably injured, and she laughed as she reached down and pulled his
nose. Then his face, too, became wreathed in smiles.

"Mary, how old are you?"

"Seven, ma'am."

"And I'm five," Mary's sister chimed in.

"I want you to promise me," said Victoria, "that you won't let brother
play in that shed. And the very next time I come I'll bring you both the
nicest thing I can think of."

Mary began to dance.

"We'll promise, we'll promise!" she cried for both, and at this juncture
Mrs. Fitch, who had run from the washtub to get into her Sunday waist,
came out of the door.

"So you hain't forgot me!" she exclaimed. "I was almost afeard you'd
forgot me."

"I've been away," said Victoria, gently taking the woman's hand and
sitting down on the doorstep.

"Don't set there," said Mrs. Fitch; "come into the parlour. You'll dirty
your dress--Mary!" This last in admonition.

"Let her stay where she is," said Victoria, putting her arm around the
child. "The dress washes, and it's so nice outside."

"You rich folks certainly do have strange notions," declared Mrs. Fitch,
fingering the flounce on Victoria's skirt, which formed the subject of
conversation for the next few minutes.

"How are you getting on?" Victoria asked at length.

A look of pain came into the woman's eyes.

"You've be'n so good to us, and done so much gettin' Eben a job on your
father's place, that I don't feel as if I ought to lie to you. He done it
again--on Saturday night. First time in three months. The manager up at
Fairview don't know it. Eben was all right Monday."

"I'm sorry," said Victoria, simply. "Was it bad?"

"It might have be'n. Young Mr. Vane is stayin' up at Jabe Jenney's--you
know, the first house as you turn off the hill road. Mr. Vane heard some
way what you'd done for us, and he saw Eben in Ripton Saturday night, and
made him get into his buggy and come home. I guess he had a time with
Eben. Mr. Vane, he came around here on Sunday, and gave him as stiff a
talkin' to as he ever got, I guess. He told Eben he'd ought to be ashamed
of himself goin' back on folks who was tryin' to help him pay his
mortgage. And I'll say this for Eben, he was downright ashamed. He told
Mr. Vane he could lick him if he caught him drunk again, and Mr. Vane
said he would. My, what a pretty colour you've got to-day."

Victoria rose. "I'm going to send you down some washing," she said.

Mrs. Fitch insisted upon untying the horse,