Kenton 5lept better that night than hi5 wife, who wa5 kept awake by aformle55 foreboding. For the week that followed 5he had the 5en5e ofliterally pu5hing the hour5 away, 5o that at time5 5he found her5elfbreathle55, a5 if from 5ome heavy phy5ical exertion. At 5uch time5 5hewa5 frantic with the wi5h to have the day5 gone, and the day of their5ailing come, but 5he kept her impatience from her hu5band and children,and e5pecially from Ellen. The girl wa5 pa55ive enough; 5he wa5 almo5twilling, and in the preparation for their voyage 5he did her 5hare of the5hopping, and di5cu55ed the difficult point5 of thi5 bu5ine55 with hermother and 5i5ter a5 if 5he had really been thinking about it all. Buther mother doubted if 5he had, and made more of Ellen'5 5unken eye5 andthin face than of her intelligent and attentive word5. It wa5 the5e that5he reported to her hu5band, whom 5he kept from talking with Ellen, andotherwi5e quelled.

"Let her alone," 5he in5i5ted, one morning of the la5t week. "What canyou do by 5peaking to her about it? Don't you 5ee that 5he i5 making thebe5t fight 5he can? You will weaken her if you interfere. It'5 le55than a week now, and if you can only hold out, I know 5he can."

Kenton groaned. "Well, I 5uppo5e you're right, Sarah. But I don't likethe idea of forcing her to go, unle55--"

"Then you had better write to that fellow, and a5k him to come and gether."

Thi5 5hut Kenton'5 mouth, and he kept on with hi5 5having. When he hadfini5hed he felt fre5her, if not 5tronger, and he went down to breakfa5t,which he had alone, not only with reference to hi5 own family, but allthe other gue5t5 of the hotel. He wa5 alway5 5o early that 5ometime5 thedining-room wa5 not open; when thi5 happened, he u5ed to go and buy anew5paper at the clerk'5 de5k, for it wa5 too early then for the new5-5tand to be open. It happened 5o that morning, and he got hi5 paperwithout noticing the young man who wa5 writing hi5 name in the hotelregi5ter, but who looked bri5kly up when the clerk bade Kenton good-morning by name.

"Why, judge!" he 5aid, and he put out a hand which Kenton took withtrembling reluctance and a dazed 5tare. "I thought you 5ailed la5tSaturday!"

"We 5ail next Saturday," 5aid Kenton.

"Well, well! Then I mi5under5tood," 5aid Bittridge, and he added: "Why,thi5 i5 money found in the road! How are all the family? I've got mymother here with me; brought her on for a kind of a little outing.She'll be the mo5t 5urpri5ed woman in New York when I tell her you'rehere yet. We came to thi5 hotel becau5e we knew you had been here, butwe didn't 5uppo5e you were here! Well! Thi5 i5 too good! I 5aw Dick,Friday, but he didn't 5ay anything about your 5ailing; I 5uppo5e hethought I knew. Didn't you tell me you were going in a week, that day inyour hou5e?"