"Any letter from Katharine?" became a daily question from Roger when he came in from school and when he received a negative he sometimes opened his lips as if to say something in condemnation. "Take care," his mother warned him when this happened; "because a guest makes mistakes is no reason that her host should copy them." With the coming of the new year the younger people all settled down to serious work. Not only Roger but James and Tom also were to graduate in June, and all of them wanted to do themselves credit. James was going to Harvard and later to the Harvard Medical School. Tom was booked for Yale and then for business. CHAPTER IX VALENTINE'S DAY It was the day after Lincoln's birthday, and Saturday. Edward Watkins had come out for his weekly visit to Elisabeth and was sitting in Mrs. Smith's living room surveying her and talking to Miss Merriam. Elisabeth was walking with a fair degree of steadiness now, and made her way about all the rooms of the house without assistance. She still preferred to crawl upstairs and she could do that so fast that the person who was supposed to watch her had to be faithful or she would disappear while an eye lingered too long on the page of an interesting book or on the face of a friend. Downstairs Edward leaned forward from his chair in front of Gertrude and picked up the ball from which she was knitting a soldier's scarf. He paid out the yarn to her as she needed it. "You're happy here, aren't you?" he asked softly. "Happy! I should say so! Next to having your very own home I can't imagine anything lovelier than this, with dear people and a pretty house and a darling baby. It's beautiful." "You'd hate to leave it, wouldn't you?" "Leave it? Why should I leave it? I think they like me. I think they want me to stay." She looked at him piercingly, evidently disturbed at the suggestion. "Want you to stay! I should think they would!" ejaculated the young physician. "I was just wondering what inducement would make you leave these dear people and this pretty house and this darling baby. If any one should--" "Hullo," cried Ethel Brown, entering at this instant. "Do you know where Aunt Louise is?" "She went out," replied Miss Merriam, somewhat nervously. "Dorothy has gone to Della's this afternoon to help her get ready for tonight," Ethel said. "She arrived before I left," admitted Edward--a confession that drew a long look from Gertrude. "Where's Ayleesabet?" "Playing under the table," answered Gertrude in cheerful ignorance that Ayleesabet had departed to more stimulating regions over the stairs. Ethel lifted the table cover to investigate. "She isn't here." Gertrude jumped up and the doctor followed her into the hall. Ethel Brown ran into the dining room and then upstairs, with Miss Merriam in pursuit. It was a moment of relief for everybody when Ethel gave a shout of discovery. "Here she is!" she called, "and O, what will Dorothy say when she comes back and sees her room!"