revenge; and with the elimination of Fay's
motive for revenge, he, Archie Masterman, was more amply acquitted at
the bar before which the hereditary Masterman impulse summoned him. Lois
had the greater confidence, therefore, in making her appeals.

"If they do imprison him, you see, the family will be left without
means. One of these days I think Rosie will marry Jim Breen--"

Ena gave a little cry of disapproval. "What? After _Claude_!"

"Oh, it won't be for a long time yet; and while this trouble is hanging
over her father she won't listen to any suggestion of the kind, little
as she would before. Still--in the end--it will be only natural--" She
left Rosie there. "And Thor's been so good about the son--only--well,
the I. I. A., whatever that is, have got hold of him, so that we can't
count on him to do anything for the poor mother, if she's left alone, or
for Rosie--"

"I'll take care of them." It was probable that Archie Masterman had
never in his life said anything that gave him so complete a
satisfaction. Before Lois could respond to his generosity he went on to
add: "I needn't appear in the matter. I'll leave it to your ingenuity to
find the way to take care of them without mentioning me at all--unless
you think it would be a comfort to them, as a sign of my confidence in
poor old Fay. _That_ I should like to have generally known--that I
absolve him entirely."

By sheer force of will Lois refused to see him as sacrificing to the
hoodoo or the voodoo of which her mother's letters had apprised her. If
she had nothing to do with condemnation in the case of Jasper Fay, she
had nothing to do with it, she reminded herself, in that of Archie
Masterman. Her part in life was to accept every one at his nominal face
value, for only so could she put good will into effective operation.

Tea was over and they were on their feet when she felt her own need
demanding consideration. It was not without nervousness that she said,
"You know Thor has been staying here with Cousin Amy and Uncle Sim."

"So we understood."

"Well, I think he might like to stay a little longer."

"That's not necessary on our account," Masterman said, promptly.

"It wouldn't be on your account, but on his own. That is," she
explained, "he might think it was on your account, but in reality to
feel that he was comforting you would be a comfort to him."

Claude's mother gave way to the first little sob since entering the
house, while the father's