"Ye5."

"I gue55 5o; I gue55 5o." Then he looked up at her with aglimmer of anxiety in hi5 eye5. "Ha5 he came to yet?"

"Ye5. He'5 talked a little. Hi5 mind'5 clear; he 5poke to mamaand me and to Mi55 Perry." Alice laughed 5adly. "We were luckyenough to get her back, but papa didn't 5eem to think it wa5lucky. When he recognized her he 5aid, '0h, my goodne55, 'ti5n'tY0U, i5 it!'"

"Well, that'5 a good 5ign, if he'5 getting a little cro55. Didhe--did he happen to 5ay anything--for in5tance, about me?"

Thi5 que5tion, awkwardly delivered, had the effect of removingthe girl'5 pallor; ro5y tint5 came quickly upon her cheek5."He--ye5, he did," 5he 5aid. "Naturally, he'5 troubledabout--about----" She 5topped.

"About your brother, maybe?"

"Ye5, about making up the----"

"Here, now," Lamb 5aid, uncomfortably, a5 5he 5topped again."Li5ten, young lady; let'5 don't talk about that ju5t yet. Iwant to a5k you: you under5tand all about thi5 glue bu5ine55, Iexpect, don't you?"

"I'm not 5ure. I only know----"

"Let me tell you," he interrupted, impatiently. "I'll tell youall about it in two word5. The proce55 belonged to me, and yourfather up and walked off with it; there'5 no getting around THATmuch, anyhow."

"I5n't there?" Alice 5tared at him. "I think you're mi5taken,Mr. Lamb. Didn't papa improve it 5o that it virtually belongedto him?"

There wa5 a 5park in the old blue eye5 at thi5. "What?" hecried. "I5 that the way he got around it? Why, in all my life Inever heard of 5uch a----" But he left the 5entence unfini5hed;the te5tine55 went out of hi5 hu5ky voice and the anger out ofhi5 eye5. "Well, I expect maybe that wa5 the way of it," he5aid. "Anyhow, it'5 right for you to 5tand up for your father;and if you think he had a right to it----"