m long acquaintance with the family, to her sour nature, he caught
himself watching her now in a sort of unbelief. He understood her
attentiveness to his comfort when she touched his arm and begged a word
with him.

"It's about that letter," she whispered, her eyes rolling around for any
possible eavesdropper. "I'll ask you not to tell Miss Gordon nor Timothy
Harkness. I'm old and new ways are new ways but I'll serve Miss Gordon
as I've always served the Forsyths."

A dignity in the old housekeeper's surrender touched Cornelius
Allendyce. He patted her shoulder and told her not to worry about the
letter; to be sure it had spoiled a rather nice golf match but he ought
to have run up to Wassumsic long before.

"The little girl I found isn't such a bad Forsyth, after all?" he could
not resist asking her, however. But Harkness, appearing at that moment,
spared Mrs. Budge the unaccustomed humiliation of admitting she had been
wrong.

After dinner Robin persuaded her guardian to walk with them to the
village while they escorted "Mother Lynch" home, and then stop at the
House of Laughter. There, Beryl lighted the lamps and Robin led a tour
of inspection through the rooms, telling her guardian as they went, of
her beautiful plans and their failure. At a warning sign from Beryl she
regretfully left out the generous contribution of their mysterious Queen
of Altruria. Most of the furniture, she explained, had come from the
Manor garrets.

While they were talking a knock sounded at the door. Robin opened it to
find Sophie Mack and three companions standing on the threshold.

"Mrs. Lynch said she thought you were up here," Sophie explained,
awkwardly. "We're getting up a social club and we want to know if you'll
let us meet here."

"Of course you can meet here!" Robin made no effort to control the
surprise in her voice. "That's what this little house is for."

"Maybe you'll join, sometime. As an honorary member or something like
that--" one of Sophie's companions broke in.

"Oh, I'd love to."

"We want to pay, you know," persisted Sophie.

"Of course--anything you--think you can."

The girls, refusing Robin's invitation to go into the cottage, turned
and went back to the village. Robin closed the door and leaned against
it with a long-drawn breath of delight.

"Guardian dear, _that's_ the beginning. Dale's right--they'll use it,
if I let them pay. Why are you laughing at me?"

Cornelius Allendyce's face sobered. He