o know more than that about your Aunt
Callie. If my brain really had been acting properly I would never have
dismantled your room. I would have known that you could not endure her,
and that you would come home just as you should. It's all right, John,
make yourself comfortable. I don't know what Katy has for dinner but she
can always find enough for an extra couple. Come Eileen, I'll help you
to settle. Where is your luggage?"

"I brought back, Linda, just what I have on," said Eileen. "I will begin
again where I left off. I realize that I am not entitled to anything
further from the Strong estate, but Uncle was so unhappy and John says
it's all right--really I am the only blood heir to all they have; I
might as well take a comfortable allowance from it. I am to go to see
them a few days of every month. I can endure that when I know I have
John and you to come back to."

When Eileen had been installed in Linda's old room Linda went down to
the kitchen, shut the door behind her, and leaning against it, laid her
hand over her mouth to suppress a low laugh.

"Katy," she said, "I've been and gone and done it; I have put the
perfect lady in my old room. That will be a test of her sincerity--even
dainty and pretty as it is since it's been done over. If she is sincere
enough to spend the summer getting ready to marry John Gilman--why that
is all right, old girl. We can stand it, can't we?"

"Yes," said Katy, "it's one of them infernal nuisances but we can
stand it. I'm thinkin', from the looks of John Gilman and his manner of
spakin', that it ain't goin' to be but a very short time that he'll be
waitin'."

"Katy," said Linda, "isn't this the most entertaining world? Doesn't it
produce the most lightning-like changes, and don't the most unexpected
things happen? Sort of dazes me. I had planned to take a little run with
you and the Cat. Since we are having--no, I mustn't say guests--since
John and Eileen have come home, I'll have to give up that plan until
after dinner, and then we'll go and take counsel with our souls and see
if we can figure out how we are going to solve this equation; and if you
don t know what an equation is, old dear heart, it's me with a war-club
and you with a shillalah and Eileen between us, and be 'damned' to us if
we can't make an average, ordinary, decent human being out of her. Pin
an apron on her in the morning, Katy, and hand her a dust cloth and tell
her to industrialize. We will help her wit