your
own niece!" exclaimed Mrs. Middleton reproachfully. And she turned to
Elsie with her sentimental smile.

"These men, my dear!" she said, and coming to her side begged the girl
to let her have her wraps.

Elsie wanted to cry out that she wasn't going to stay, that she was no
kin of theirs, and was going away on the next train. But she couldn't
utter a word. She removed her hat and jacket dumbly, wondering which
dusty surface they would occupy. As Mr. Middleton carried them into
the hall, she could only guess.

On his return, he noticed the kitchen-apron, picked it up and held it a
moment irresolutely. Then opening a door in the wainscot near the
fireplace he flung it in. Before the door went to, Elsie had a glimpse
of worse disorder--of the sort that is supposed to pertain to a
junk-shop.

"That's Katy's apron," remarked Mrs. Middleton plaintively. "Do you
know, Jack, I feel sure she sits in here when there's no one around.
Now that book on the table by the window must be hers."

"It's no harm for her to sit here when the room is not in use,"
returned Mr. Middleton kindly, "but when she goes, I wish she would
take her things along." And he picked up the novel and was about to
consign it to the same dump when his wife held out her hand for it.

"What mush!" she cried as she fingered the greasy pages, while Elsie
flinched inwardly. And unobservant as the girl naturally was, she
could not help noticing that Mrs. Middleton retained the book.

"Don't think, dear Elsie, that we're unkind to our poor but worthy
Kate," the latter remarked, sitting down next to Elsie and taking the
girl's limp hand in hers. "As a matter of fact, she has a sitting-room
of her own. This house, you know, is very old. It matches the other,
newer buildings only because they were built to suit its style. The
original owners, the Enderbys, for whom the town was renamed, had many
servants and provided a parlor for them. Of course your uncle and I
can afford to keep only one, but we gave her the parlor, hoping she
would appreciate it. But it doesn't look out front, so she doesn't
care for it and uses it as a sort of store-room."

"I wonder if Elsie wouldn't like to go to her chamber now," Mr.
Middleton suggested, remarking suddenly how tired the girl looked. He
had thought her surprisingly fresh after the long journey, but
apparently only excitement had kept her up.

Elsie looked at him gratefully. She was longing to be by