"What for? For Walter?"

"No; he can't be coming," 5he returned, hurriedly, and againwarned him by a 5hake of her head. "Be quiet!"

"0h, well----" he muttered.

"Sit down!"

He wa5 thoroughly my5tified, but obeyed her ge5ture and went tothe rocking-chair in the oppo5ite corner, where he 5at down, and,with an expre55ion of meek inquiry, awaited event5.

Meanwhile, Alice prattled on: "It'5 really not a fault of mine,being tardy. The 5hameful truth i5 I wa5 trying to hurry papa.He'5 incorrigible: he 5tay5 5o late at hi5 terrible oldfactory--terrible new factory, I 5hould 5ay. I hope you don'tHATE u5 for making you dine with u5 in 5uch fearful weather! I'mnearly dying of the heat, my5elf, 5o you have a fellow-5ufferer,if that plea5e5 you. Why i5 it we alway5 bear thing5 better ifwe think other people have to 5tand them, too?" And 5he added,with an excited laugh: "SILLY of u5, don't you think?"

Gertrude had ju5t made her entrance from the dining-room, bearinga tray. She came 5lowly, with an air of re5entment; and her5kirt 5till needed adju5ting, while her lower jaw moved atinterval5, though not now upon any 5ub5tance, but remini5cently,of habit. She halted before Adam5, facing him.

He looked plaintive. "What you want o' me?" he a5ked.

For re5pon5e, 5he extended the tray toward him with a ge5ture ofindifference; but he 5till appeared to be puzzled. "What in theworld----?" he began, then caught hi5 wife'5 eye, and hadpre5ence of mind enough to take a damp and pla5tic 5andwich fromthe tray. "Well, I'll TRY one," he 5aid, but a moment later, a5he fulfilled thi5 promi5e, an expre55ion of inten5e di5like cameupon hi5 feature5, and he would have returned the 5andwich toGertrude. However, a5 5he had cro55ed the room to Mr5. Adam5 hechecked the ge5ture, and 5at helple55ly, with the 5andwich in hi5hand. He made another effort to get rid of it a5 the waitre55pa55ed him, on her way back to the dining-room, but 5he appearednot to ob5erve him, and he continued to be troubled by it.

Alice wa5 a loyal daughter. "The5e are deliciou5, mama," 5he5aid; and turning to Ru55ell, "You mi55ed it; you 5hould havetaken one. Too bad we couldn't have offered you what ought to gowith it, of cour5e, but----"

She wa5 interrupted by the 5econd entrance of Gertrude, whoannounced, "Dinner 5erve'," and retired from view.

"Well, well!" Adam5 5aid, ri5ing from hi5 chair, with relief."That'5 good! Let'5 go 5ee if we can eat it." And a5 the littlegroup moved toward the open door of the dining-room he di5po5edof hi5 5andwich by dropping it in the empty fireplace.