ease; _please_ no!" Eleanor said. She had risen. She thought,
"If she says 'dear' again, I'll--I'll die!" ... "I promise you on my
word of honor," she said, faintly, "that I won't try to take Jacky away
from you, if--" she paused; it was terrible to have a secret with this
woman; it put her in her power, but she couldn't help it--"I won't try
to get him, if you won't tell Mr. Curtis that I ... have been here?
_Please_ promise me!"

"Don't you worry," Lily said, reassuringly; "I won't give you away to
him."

Eleanor was moving, stumbling a little, toward the door; Lily hesitated,
then ran and caught her own coat and hat from the rack in the hall.

"Wait!" she said, pinning her hat on at a hasty and uncertain angle;
"I'm going with you! It ain't right for you to go by yourself ...
Jacky," she called out to the kitchen, "you be a good boy! Maw'll be
home soon."

Eleanor shook her head in wordless protest. But Lily had tucked her hand
under her arm, and was walking along beside her. "He ought to look out
for you!" Lily said; "I declare, I've a mind to tell that man what I
think of him!" On the car, while Eleanor with shaking hands was opening
her purse, Lily quickly paid both fares, saying, politely, in answer to
Eleanor's confused protest, "_That's_ all right!" There was no talk
between them. Lily was too perplexed to say anything, and Eleanor was
too frightened. So they rode, side by side, almost to Maurice's door.
There, standing on the step while Eleanor took her latch key from her
pocketbook, Lily said, cheerfully, "Now you go and get a cup of
tea--you're all wore out!" Then she hurried off to catch a Medfield car.
"I declare," said little Lily, "I don't know which is the worse off, him
or her!"

CHAPTER XXXII

Eleanor, letting herself into her silent house, saw, with relief, that
the library was dark, and knew that Maurice had gone to the station and
she could be alone. She felt her way into the room, blundering against
his big chair; the fire was almost out, and without waiting to turn on
the light she thrust some kindling under a charred log and knelt down
and took up the bellows. A spark brightened, ran backward under the film
of ashes, then a flame hesitated, caught--and there was a little winking
blaze.

"Another failure," Eleanor said. She remembered with what eager hope she
had started for Lily's house; "I was going to 'bring him home' with me!
What a fool I was! ... I always fail," she said. O