The wedding was to be the first week of Maria's spring vacation, and she unexpectedly received word from home that her father was not well, and that she had better go home as soon as her school was finished. Her father himself wrote. He wrote guardedly, evidently without Ida's knowledge. He said that, unless her heart was particularly set upon attending the wedding, he wished she would come home; that her vacation was short, at the best, that he had not seen her for a long time, and that he did not feel quite himself some days. Maria read between the lines, and so did her aunt Maria, to whom she read the letter. "Your father's sicker than he lets on," Aunt Maria said, bluntly. "You'd better go. You don't care anything particular about going to that Merrill girl's wedding. She can get Fanny Ellwell for her maid of honor. That dress Fanny wore at Eva Granger's wedding will do for her to wear. Your dress will come in handy next summer. You had better go home." Maria sat soberly looking at the letter. "I am afraid father is worse than he says," she said. "I know he is. Harry Edgham wasn't ever very strong, and I'll warrant his wife has made him go out when he didn't feel equal to it, and she has had stacks of company, and he must have had to strain every nerve to meet expenses, poor man! You'd better go, Maria." "Of course, I am going," replied Maria. That evening she went over and told Lily that she could not be her maid of honor, that her father was sick, and she would be obliged to go home as soon as school closed. George Ramsey was calling, and Lily's face had a lovely pink radiance. One could almost seem to see the kisses of love upon it. George acted a little perturbed at sight of Maria. He remained silent during Lily's torrent of regrets and remonstrances, but he followed Maria to the door and said to her how sorry he was that her father was ill. "I hope it is nothing serious," he said. "Thank you," said Maria. "I hope not, but I don't think my father is very strong, and I feel that I ought to go." "Of course," said George. "We shall be sorry to miss you, but, if your father is ill, you ought to go." "Do you think one day would make any difference?" said Lily, pleadingly, putting up her lovely face at Maria. "It would mean three days, you know, dear," Maria said. "Of course it would," said George; "and Miss Edgham is entirely right, Lily." "I don't want Fanny Ellwell one bit for maid of honor," Lily said, poutingly. Maria did not pay any attention. She was thinking anxiously of her father. She realized that he must be very ill or he would not have written her as he had done. It was not like Harry Edgham to deprive any one of any prospective pleasure, and he had no reason to think that being maid of honor at this wedding was anything but a pleasure to Maria. She felt that the illness must be something serious. Her school was to close in three days, and she was almost too impatient to wait.