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She never thought of disputing Tilly’s wishes. “It’s only fair,” said Jane. “She’s lived here all these years to please me, and now I ought to be willing to go to please her.”

Neither did she for a moment hope to change Tilly’s determination. “She was the settest baby ever was,” thought poor Jane, tossing on her pillow, in the night watches, “and it’s grown with every inch of her!”

But in the morning she surprised her daughter. “Tilly,” said she at the breakfast-table, “Tilly, I got something I must do, and I don’t want you to oppose me.”

“Good gracious, ma!” said Tilly; “as if I ever opposed you!”

“You know how bad I have been feeling about the poor Russians——“

“Well?”

“And how I’ve wished and wished I could do something–something to COUNT? I never could, Tilly, because I ain’t got the money or the intellect; but s’posing I could do it for somebody else, like this Captain Ferguson who could do so much if he just could get a hired girl to take care of his wife. Well, I do know how to cook and to keep a house neat and to do for the sick—-“

Tilly could restrain herself no longer; her voice rose to a shout of dismay–“Mother Louder, you AIN’T thinking of going to be the Ferguson’s hired girl! “

“Not their hired girl, Tilly; just their help, so as he can work for those poor starving creatures.” Jane strangled a sob in her throat. Tilly, in a kind of stupor of bewilderment, frowned at her plate. Then her clouded face cleared. If Mrs. Louder had surprised her daughter, her daughter repaid the surprise. “Well, if you feel that way, mother,” said she, “I won’t say a word; and I’ll ask Mr. Lossing to explain to the Fergusons and fix everything. He will.”

“You’re real good, Tilly.”

“And while you’re gone I guess it will be a good plan to move and git settled—-“

For some reason Tilly’s throat felt dry, she lifted her cup. She did not intend to look across the table, but her eyes escaped her. She set the coffee down untasted. The clock was slow, she muttered; and she left the room.

Jane Louder remained in her place, with the same pale face, staring at the table-cloth.

“It don’t seem like I COULD go, now,” she thought dully to herself; “the time’s so awful short, I don’t s’pose Maria Carleton can git up to see me more’n once or twice a month, busy as she is! I got so to depend on seeing her every day. A sister couldn’t be kinder! I don’t see how I am going to bear it. And to go away, beforehand—-“

For a long while she sat, her face hardly changing. At last, when she did push her chair away, her lips were tightly closed. She spoke to the little pile of books lying on the table in the corner. “I cayn’t–these are my own and you are strangers!” She walked across the room to take up the same magazine which Tilly had found her reading the day before. When she began reading she looked stern–poor Jane, she was steeling her heart–but in a little while she was sniffing and blowing her nose. With a groan she flung the book aside. “It’s no use, I would feel like a murderer if I don’t go!” said she.

She did go. Harry Lossing made all the arrangements. Tilly was satisfied. But, then, Tilly had not heard Harry’s remark to his mother: “Alma says Miss Louder is trying to make the old lady move against her will. I dare say it would be better to give the young woman a chance to miss her mother and take a little quiet think.”

Tilly saw her mother off on the train to Baxter, the Fergusons’ station. Being a provident, far-sighted, and also inexperienced traveller, she had allowed a full half-hour for preliminary passages at arms with the railway officials; and, as the train happened to be an hour late, she found herself with time to spare, even after she had exhausted the catalogue of possible deceptions and catastrophes by rail. During the silence that followed her last warning, she sat mentally keeping tally on her fingers. “Confidence men”–Tilly began with the thumb–“Never give anybody her check. Never lend anybody money. Never write her name to anything. Don’t get out till conductor tells her. In case of accident, telegraph me, and keep in the middle of the car, off the trucks. Not take care of anybody’s baby while she goes off for a minute. Not take care of babies at all. Or children. Not talk to strangers–good gracious!”