to--this."

Cornelius Allendyce proceeded to tell everything from the day of his
interview with Madame to the moment of his consternation upon
discovering that Gordon Forsyth was a girl and not a boy. He repeated
word for word Robin's and his conspiring; he described their flight and
Robin's break down in his library.

"She had not lost courage--oh, no. But she was thinking of you. She was
afraid you'd forget to take your hot milk at night or something like
that," he finished simply.

There were other details for the lawyer to explain to James Forsyth,
having to do with allowances and schooling. Then, when everything had
been said that was necessary to be said, James Forsyth rose wearily.

"If that's all, I'd like it if you two would leave me here--alone." He
held out his hand to Mr. Allendyce. "Understand, if she's not happy--"

"Our agreement ends."

CHAPTER VI

THE FORSYTH HEIR

Harkness' mother had once lived in an English duke's family and Harkness
had been brought up on stories of the ceremonious life there. Therefore
he considered it quite fitting that he should take upon himself the
planning for the reception of the Forsyth heir.

"I say it do be a pity Madame could not 'ave waited," he grumbled to
Mrs. Budge. "To 'ave the poor little fellow arrive here alone don't seem
right. But Madame says 'Harkness, you'll do everything--'"

"Everything!" snorted Mrs. Budge, who had just come down from dusting
the "boy's" room. The familiar "clutter," as she had always called it,
had roused poignant memories, so that her wrinkled face was streaked now
and red. "'Pears to me most you do is talk--and talk big. It's Harkness
this and Harkness that! To be sure _my_ mother was a plain New England
woman--"

"Now, Budge, now, Budge," interrupted Harkness, consolingly. "No one as
I know is going to dispute that your mother was a plain New England
woman. And we're not going to quarrel at such a rememberable moment, not
we. And we're going to give Mr. Gordon a welcome as is befitting a
Forsyth. At the appointed hour we'll gather at the door--you must stand
at the head of the long line of servants--"

"Long line of servants! And where do you expect to get them, I'd like to
know? Things have been at sixes and sevens in this house ever since the
gloom came. And that new piece from the village ain't worth her salt's
far as work goes."

Poor Harkness had to recognize the truth of what Budge said. Since the
"gloom"