the
death of Arnold Armstrong, to be held Saturday, and the arrival of Mrs.
Armstrong and young Doctor Walker, bringing the body of the dead
president of the Traders' Bank. We had not told Louise of either death.

Then, too, I was anxious about the children. With their mother's
inheritance swept away in the wreck of the bank, and with their love
affairs in a disastrous condition, things could scarcely be worse.
Added to that, the cook and Liddy had a flare-up over the proper way to
make beef-tea for Louise, and, of course, the cook left.

Mrs. Watson had been glad enough, I think, to turn Louise over to our
care, and Thomas went upstairs night and morning to greet his young
mistress from the doorway. Poor Thomas! He had the faculty--found
still in some old negroes, who cling to the traditions of slavery
days--of making his employer's interest his. It was always "we" with
Thomas; I miss him sorely; pipe-smoking, obsequious, not over reliable,
kindly old man!

On Thursday Mr. Harton, the Armstrongs' legal adviser, called up from
town. He had been advised, he said, that Mrs. Armstrong was coming
east with her husband's body and would arrive Monday. He came with
some hesitation, he went on, to the fact that he had been further
instructed to ask me to relinquish my lease on Sunnyside, as it was
Mrs. Armstrong's desire to come directly there.

I was aghast.

"Here!" I said. "Surely you are mistaken, Mr. Harton. I should think,
after--what happened here only a few days ago, she would never wish to
come back."

"Nevertheless," he replied, "she is most anxious to come. This is what
she says. 'Use every possible means to have Sunnyside vacated. Must
go there at once.'"

"Mr. Harton," I said testily, "I am not going to do anything of the
kind. I and mine have suffered enough at the hands of this family. I
rented the house at an exorbitant figure and I have moved out here for
the summer. My city home is dismantled and in the hands of decorators.
I have been here one week, during which I have had not a single night
of uninterrupted sleep, and I intend to stay until I have recuperated.
Moreover, if Mr. Armstrong died insolvent, as I believe was the case,
his widow ought to be glad to be rid of so expensive a piece of
property."

The lawyer cleared his throat.

"I am very sorry you have made this decision," he said. "Miss Innes,
Mrs. Fitzhugh tells me Louise Armstrong is with you."

"She is."

"Has she