who in the world can it be at this t

he wouldn't be such a goose as to come at this hour." She put on a look of miserable tre

?" asked Mrs. Lei

y-whoever they

y ring forbade them refuge

all we do? Perhaps

ring more insistent than the others followed, and she said: "You go ahead, mamma, and I'll

with a sudden flash that made them both jump a little. The gas inside rendered it more difficult to tell who was on the threshold, but Mrs. Leighton decided from a timo

said, in a rich, throaty voice; and she feigned a

on; she mechanically oc

ehind her with impatien

the apawtments, and Ah most ask you to pawdon us." She put this tentatively, with a delicately growing recognition of Mrs. Leighton as the lady of the

d at the same time her mother s

re-looking, with a gray, trooperish mustache and iron-gray hair, and, as Alma decided, iron-gray eyes. His daughter was short, plump, and fresh-colored, with an effect of livelin

d this mawning, but we got this cyahd from the br

from the card the young lady had given her, and explained, "We haven't

of coase," said the yo

ot to have come so late, and he

st as much scared any t

pathetic intelligenc

e my hawt in my moath all day long, too,

ese people to assume to be what they pretended; but, she reflected too late, she had no proof of it except the agent's permit. They were all standing in the hal

with the slight umbrage a man shows when the strange cashi

e; she examined the other girl's dress, and decided in a s

n, with an irrelevant sigh. "You must excuse their being

man, "if you can overlook the trouble we aw

s Woodburn joined in, "and Ah kno

ork in it. She seemed not ashamed to ask if Mrs. Leighton's price was inflexible, but gave way laughing when her father refused to have any bargaining, with a haughty self-respect which he softened to deference for Mrs. Leighton. His

ddah," the young lady said to Alma as they went down-stairs toge

urns rang: Mr. Woodburn consented to sit down, and he remained listening to Mrs. Leighton whil

iendly banter, when Alma owned to having done the things. "Ah've

ighton; it's grand. Ah suppose it's raght expensive, now? Mah goodness! we have to cyoant the coast so much n

lieve Mr. Wetmore would ever know what the price of

th-century face, round, arch, a little coquettish, but extremely sensible and unspoiled-looking, such as used to be painted a good deal in miniature at that period; a tendency of her brown hair to twine and twist at the temples helped the effect; a high comb would have completed it, Alma felt, if she had her bonnet off. It was almost a Yankee country-

w," she answ

ss Woodburn, "or just paint the ahdeal?

t all," said Alma. "I'm going to ill

, and Ah'll wrahte a book fo' them. Ah've got to do something. Ali maght as well wrahte a book. You know we Southerners have all had

Alma; "but you forget it when y

why poo' people have to woak so hawd-

om talking in a low tone with their ba

hould go. I bid you good-night, madam," he bowed to

lly cordiality of manner that deformalized it. "We shall be roa

for you," Alma called a

her asked, when the d

She praised everything that was bad in my sketches, and said she was going to take lessons herself. When

ed financially. We shall have to get in two girls at once. I shall have to

prosperity couldn't begin without the troubles, if you mean boarders, and boarders

people, or whether they will be able to pay

they were poor; po

. Leighton. "Well, I ought to have told the

's the way you'

r he wouldn't let her bargain fo

t ladies; or at least one of them." Alma laug

lp if they've got no money.

We're a match for them any day there. We c