Produced by Suzanne Shell, Emmy and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at https://www.pgdp.net AN OLD CHESTER SECRET [Illustration] BOOKS BY MARGARET DELAND AN OLD CHESTER SECRET THE PROMISES OF ALICE THE AWAKENING OF HELENA RICHIE THE RISING TIDE AROUND OLD CHESTER THE HANDS OF ESAU OLD CHESTER TALES AN ENCORE DR. LAVENDAR'S PEOPLE PARTNERS THE IRON WOMAN THE VOICE WHERE THE LABORERS ARE FEW * * * * * HARPER & BROTHERS, NEW YORK ESTABLISHED 1817 [Illustration: [See p. 18 "WHAT! INSULT THIS LADY BY ASKING FOR A 'PROMISE'?"] AN OLD CHESTER SECRET By MARGARET DELAND _Author of_ "OLD CHESTER TALES" "THE IRON WOMAN" "AROUND OLD CHESTER" ETC. _Illustrations by_ F. WALTER TAYLOR [Illustration] HARPER & BROTHERS PUBLISHERS NEW YORK AND LONDON AN OLD CHESTER SECRET ---- Copyright, 1920, by Harper & Brothers Printed in the United States of America Published October, 1920 To Lorin-- for this book, too, is his. Kennebunkport August 12, 1920 ILLUSTRATIONS "WHAT! INSULT THIS LADY BY ASKING FOR A 'PROMISE'?" _Frontispiece_ "I WILL NOT GIVE ANY OF MY APPLES BACK. THEY'RE MINE" _Facing p._ 32 "IF I SAW HIM ONCE I MIGHT WANT TO SEE HIM AGAIN" " 56 "HEARTS DON'T ANSWER WHEN REASON WHISTLES TO THEM," HE SAID " 104 AN OLD CHESTER SECRET CHAPTER I