That was on Tuesday, and Wednesday afternoon Peaches came back from school and found Betty and Toby on the porch. Betty looked rather woebegone and her eyes were suspiciously red. “She’s been crying,” Toby announced indignantly, viewing Peaches as though he thought the latter to blame in the matter. “I haven’t,” said Betty. “I mean I didn’t mean to.” She managed to smile. “I guess I’m tired.” “Been to school to-day?” asked Peaches, seating himself. “No, I haven’t been since Monday. There’s so much to do here that I thought I’d better not.” “How is he to-day?” Betty sighed. “The doctor said this morning that he was ‘getting on,’ but goodness knows what that means! He doesn’t seem any worse, and he slept a good deal last night and this morning. But this afternoon he’s in such low spirits that――that――” Tears threatened again and Betty left the sentence unfinished. Toby shuffled his feet uncomfortably, glancing from Betty to Peaches, seemed to decide that the situation no longer demanded his presence, and betook himself upstairs, rather noisily because of his desperate efforts to be quiet. Betty smiled again as he disappeared. “He was so funny,” she said, with a little sniff. “He came down to the dining-room for a drink of water and found me there. Of course he wanted to know what the trouble was――I was crying a little――and I said, ‘Nothing, Toby,’ and he began walking around the table, looking so fierce and muttering to himself! Then he stopped in front of me and said: “‘Nothing my blind aunt! You come along with me!’ Then he almost dragged me out here and plumped me down and shook his finger at me. ‘You stop that!’ he said. ‘Stop this minute!’ Well, I was so surprised that I did!” “Sort of a cave-man comforter,” commented Peaches, with a grin. “I suppose if you hadn’t stopped he’d have dropped a cunning little newt or a couple of grasshoppers down your back.” “He might have,” agreed Betty. Then, after a moment, she said: “I spoke to Mamma about the mortgage, Peaches, and she didn’t make any objection at all, but just said she was terribly much obliged. I’ll give you the memoranda. It――it’s a good deal of money, though, Peaches; seventy dollars. I don’t think you ought to do it.” “I do, Betty. When’s it due?” “Next Monday. If you haven’t got so much, I think Mr. Tanner would take less if we explained how it was.” “As a matter of fact, I haven’t got so much, but I’ve got some coming to me and I’ll have it here in plenty of time. The next time Mr. Benjy gets to worrying about that, you tell him it’s paid.” “He hasn’t said so much about it the last day or two. It’s Davy he talks of now. He――he wants to see him so badly, Peaches! I really believe that if he could see him for a few minutes he’d try――he’d _want_ to get well. And the doctor says that one reason he doesn’t is just that he doesn’t care!” “Well,” said Peaches, after a short silence, “if seeing Davy’s going to get him well again, he’d better do it, hadn’t he?”