in the wet leaves that had fallen from the branch

to do, and as she neared the old house, with its tumbled

hesitated for an instant she would run. And how could she go back and f

ing in the wind a kind of chill unreality seemed to shut her in. She hurried to ring the bell so that someone-anyone-would come and she would not be alone. The bell w

ould come at all? There was no one TO come, except Mr. Huntington himself-and now he evidently wasn't going to. She might have known. She was overwhelmed with a sense of failure. Those lovely h

was c

ng open and a man's hea

oked a great deal more scared than she

do?" she a

the vivid little figure in the

ou do?" he

way, so she needn't be so frightened,

e of confidence, "I came-I came-I-came-" but the confide

elieve that twinkle in his eyes was a smile? Perhaps he didn't oft

n?" he invited, a

lowed him int

into the library on one side and a dining-room on the othe

here for you, I'm afraid,

their crackling fire was made on the river bank. But in this damp, big room

chattering teeth, trying to make her tone of ev

ged bravely into her mission. "It's a special treat

" he protested, "I haven't been invited to anything in twenty years." Then an underst

ands and horrid blackened dishes that we couldn't at first. And we can get awfully good dinners, too. So we thought that instead of just getting them up at school and eating them ourse

as surprised as s

who goes to the school," he said

Peggy had thought so complete showed it

itted, crestfal

ade Mr. Huntington want

be more free,-I should be distinctly terrified at the presence of so many young ladies after so long a time of solitude, but sti

e poor! Here he was offering to buy enough food for a dozen hungry girls when he himself had bare

owledge that is being pounded into us. If I can go back and tell those girls-" her breath caught in her throat for an instant at the prospect of such a triumphant

s looking at h

r that reason I should encourage you to have your way. For the last twenty years people have been coming to me now and then-whenever a certain rumor starts up afresh-wanting this, that and the other

ggy winced at the open way he spoke of it now, after all

but when I am graduated I'm going to earn my own living!" She shot it out at him, all breathless

sometimes think those are the happiest days of a p

ng of piling up a fortune. What could I do that wo

sked the

t until you've tried this dinner I want to get up for you and then maybe you can recomm

n a look of real eagerness came over his lonely face. "Wh

lly, "there are lots of goo

y. She mustn't let him know she suggested Sunday, because of its being a proverbiall

, so low that Peggy could hardly hear him. "Tha

. It will give us an opportunity to learn how to fix turkey and cranberry and all those things. We will settle that, then, because I'll tease my he

hint of a smile in his eyes. "It's been eighteen years since Thanksgiving meant any

d wondered where they were now, the rest of this family, that had cherished Th

nderful party. And I'll bring my new chafing-dish and Katherine'

t of the affair?" the old

t the first thing I learned to do at Andrews,-make the

ducation for girls is dangerous," murmured Mr. Huntington. "

sighed contentedly, "they'll want to begin planning the gr

an?" laughed her new friend. "That would be rather

language of the school world was equipped with a strange vocabulary to outside ears, a

went out of the door as Mr. Huntington held it open