ven arrayed in their
plain little ginghams, clean, before the first arrivals were ushered up
into the front bedroom, ordinarily occupied by Prudence and Fairy.

"There's Mrs. Adams, and Mrs. Prentiss, and Mrs.----," began Connie,
listening intently to the voices in the next room.

"Yes," whispered Carol, "peek through the keyhole, Lark, and see if
Mrs. Prentiss is looking under the bed for dust. They say she----"

"You'd better not let Prudence catch you repeating----"

"There's Mrs. Stone, and Mrs. Davis, and----"

"They say Mrs. Davis only belongs to the Ladies' Aid for the sake of
the refreshments, and----"

"Carol! Prudence will punish you."

"Well, I don't believe it," protested Carol. "I'm just telling you
what I've heard other people say."

"We aren't allowed to repeat gossip," urged Lark.

"No, and I think it's a shame, too, for it's awfully funny. Minnie
Drake told me that Miss Varne joined the Methodist church as soon as
she heard the new minister was a widower so she----"

"Carol!"

Carol whirled around sharply, and flushed, and swallowed hard. For
Prudence was just behind her.

"I--I--I--" but she could get no further.

Upon occasion, Prudence was quite terrible. "So I heard," she said
dryly, but her eyes were hard. "Now run down-stairs and out to the
field, or to the barn, and play. And, Carol, be sure and remind me of
that speech to-night. I might forget it."

The girls ran quickly out, Carol well in the lead.

"No wedding fee for me," she mumbled bitterly. "Do you suppose there
can be seven devils in my tongue, Lark, like there are in the Bible?"

"I don't remember there being seven devils in the Bible," said Lark.

"Oh, I mean the--the possessed people it tells about in the
Bible,--crazy, I suppose it means. Somehow I just can't help
repeating----"

"You don't want to," said Lark, not without sympathy. "You think it's
such fun, you know."

"Well, anyhow, I'm sure I won't get any wedding fee to-night. It seems
to me Prudence is very--harsh sometimes."

"You can appeal to father, if you like."

"Not on your life," said Carol promptly and emphatically; "he's worse
than Prudence. Like as not he'd give me a good thrashing into the
bargain. No,--I'm strong for Prudence when it comes to punishment,--in
preference to father, I mean. I can't seem to be fond of any kind of
punishment from anybody."

For a while Carol was much depressed, but by nature she was a buoyant
s