She bent over and kissed him, and putting his arm around her he drew her down on the side of his chair. "Now tell me all your plans," he said. And her answer brought him a deep peace. "We're going abroad for the summer--and then if you'll have us we want to come here." Roger abruptly shut his eyes. "By George, Deborah," he said, "you do have a way of getting right into the heart of things!" His arm closed about her with new strength and he felt all his troubles flying away. "What a time we'll have, what a rich new life." Her deep sweet voice was a little unsteady. "Listen, dearie, how quiet it is." And for some moments nothing was heard but the sober tick-tick of the clock on the mantle. "I wonder what we're going to hear." And they thought of new voices in the house. CHAPTER XIX Edith was radiant at the news. "I do hope they're not going to grudge themselves a good long wedding trip!" she exclaimed. "They're going abroad," said Roger. "Oh, splendid! And the wedding! Church or home?" "Home," said Roger blissfully, "and short and simple, not a frill. Just the family." "Oh, that's so nice," sighed Edith. "I was afraid she'd want to drag in her school." "School will be out by then," he said. "Well, I hope it stays out--for the remainder of her days. She can't do both, and she'll soon see. Wait till she has a child of her own." "Well, she wants one bad enough." "Yes, but can she?" Edith asked, with the engrossed expression which came on her pretty florid face whenever she neared such a topic. She spoke with evident awkwardness. "That's the trouble. Is it too late? Deborah's thirty-one, you know, and she has lived her life so hard. The sooner she gives up her school the better for her chances." The face of her father clouded. "Look here," he said uneasily, "I wouldn't go talking to her--quite along those lines, my dear." "I'm not such an idiot," she replied. "She thinks me homely enough as it is. And she's not altogether wrong. Bruce and I were talking it over last night. We want to be closer, after this, to Deborah and Allan. Bruce says it will do us _all_ good, and for once I think he's right. I _have_ given too much time to my children, and Bruce to his office--I see it now. Not that I regret it, but--well, we're going to blossom out." * * * * * She struck the same note with Deborah. And so did Bruce. "Oh, Deborah dear," he said smiling, when he found a chance to see her alone, "if you knew how long I've waited for this big fine thing to happen. A. Baird is my best chum in the world. Don't yank him gently away from us now. We'll keep close--eh?--all four of us." "Very," said Deborah softly. "And you mustn't get too solemn, you know. You won't pull too much of the highbrow stuff." "Heaven forbid!"