secret," acknowledged Mrs. Gray
ruefully. "Did Grace tell you that a New York newspaper had published an
account of it?"

"Miriam sent me a copy of the newspaper," returned David. "Who gave out
the news?"

Mrs. Gray cast an interrogatory glance toward Grace, who met it with an
assuring smile. "It's all right, Aunt Rose," she nodded. "I have
Arline's permission to answer. She wishes me to tell anyone whom I think
ought to know it. She said so to-day." With this explanation Grace
continued: "I wrote Arline about the postponement of my marriage to Tom.
She answered, but confused her letter with another which she had written
to someone else. That person proved unfriendly to both of us, and so the
mystery of poor Tom came into print."

"So that's the way it happened," mused David. Delicacy forbade him to
ask further questions. He understood, as did the others, that Grace's
explanation had been purposely sketchy. "Personally, I'm not sorry it's
now generally known. It may be the means of bringing Tom into the land
of the living again. I don't mean that I think he's dead. I can't and
won't think that."

"Nor I," Grace cried out sharply. "I've never let myself believe that
for an instant. We ought to give Elfreda special vote of grateful thanks
for suggesting Jean. That was a master stroke."

Grace's suggestion brought out a volley of acclamation in Elfreda's
direction.

"Oh, forget it," she muttered, unconsciously relapsing into her old-time
use of slang. "Old Jean just happened to pop into my head. That's all."

"Just the same, it takes an outsider to show the Oakdalites a few
things," warmly accorded Hippy. "I am proud to claim you as a colleague,
Elfreda. Some day we may yet grapple together with the intricacies of
the law. 'Wingate and Briggs, Lawyer and Lawyeress. Daring Deeds
Perpetrated While You Wait,' would look nice on a sign."

"I can see that you are making fun of a poor defenseless lawyeress,"
retorted Elfreda good-humoredly. "Don't you think so, Mrs. Nesbit?
You've been listening to all of us without saying a word. Now we'd like
to hear your views on whether or not Wingate and Briggs, etc., would set
the world on fire as a law firm."

"I have little doubt of the glorious future of such a combination,"
agreed Mrs. Nesbit, smiling. There was an absent look in her eyes,
however. Her thoughts had been traveling persistently into the past as
she sat listening to the interesting discussion over the missing T