to see my girls."

Her father sent them up to her at once, and they stood at the foot of
the bed with sorry faces, and smiled at her.

"Say something," whispered Carol, kicking Lark suggestively on the
foot. But Lark was dumb. It was Carol who broke the silence.

"Oh, Prudence, do you suppose the doctors will let me come in and watch
them bandage your head? I want to begin practising up, so as to be
ready for the next war."

Then they laughed, and the girls realized that Prudence was really
alive and quite as always. They told her of Connie's sad experience,
and Prudence comforted her sweetly.

"It just proves all over again," she declared, smiling, but with a sigh
close following, "that you can't get along without me to look after
you. Would I ever go to bed without making sure that Connie was safe
and sound?"

Down-stairs, meanwhile, Mr. Starr was plotting with Fairy, a willing
assistant.

"He'll surely be in on this train, and you must keep him down here
until I get through with Prudence. I want to tell her a few things
before she sees him. Bring him in quietly, and don't let him speak
loudly. I do not want her to know he is on hand for a few minutes.
Explain it to the girls, will you?"

After sending the younger girls down-stairs again, he closed the door
of Prudence's room, and sat down beside her.

"Prudence, I can't tell you how bitterly disappointed I am in you."

"Father!"

"Yes, I thought you loved us,--the girls and me. It never occurred to
me that you considered us a bunch of selfish, heartless, ungrateful
animals!"

"Father!"

"Is that your idea of love? Is that----"

"Oh, father!"

"It really did hurt me, Prudence. My dear little girl, how could you
send Jerry away, breaking your heart and his, and ours, too,--just
because you thought us such a selfish lot that we would begrudge you
any happiness of your own? Don't you think our love for you is big
enough to make us happy in seeing you happy? You used to say you would
never marry. We did not expect you to marry, then. But we knew the
time would come when marriage would seem beautiful and desirable to
you. We were waiting for that time. We were hoping for it. We were
happy when you loved Jerry, because we knew he was good and kind and
loving, and that he could give you all the beautiful things of
life--that I can never give my children. But you thought we were too
selfish to let you go, and you sent him away."

"Bu