"I--I think perhaps Charlotte will go out to walk," returned Miss Upton, somewhat troubled herself to know how to insure privacy in her restricted domain. "She does, sometimes, Sundays." "How does it affect the Keefe springtime to have her walk out in it?" inquired Ben solicitously. "I'll tell you, Ben," said his mother, sympathetic with the anxiety in Miss Mehitable's face, "bring Miss Upton over to see our apple-blossoms, and you can have your talk at our house." Relief overspread Miss Upton's round countenance. "Certainly. I'll call for you at three," said Ben, "Blackstone under my arm. If Merry Sunshine attacks me it will be a trusty weapon. Hop into the car, Mehit, and we'll run you home." Mrs. Barry laughed. "The sermon doesn't seem to have done him any good this morning, Miss Upton. We shall be glad to take you home." CHAPTER IV The Good Fairy So again Mrs. Whipp saw her friend and employer descend from the Barry car. She didn't open the door for her this time, but sat, rocking, in the shop with Pearl in her lap, and sniffed at her as she entered. "You and your fine friends," she scoffed. "Pretty soon you won't demean yourself to use the trolley at all." "If you had only been willing to come to church, Charlotte, they'd have brought you home, too," said Miss Mehitable, hoping she was telling the truth. "'The Sabbath was made for man,'" snapped Mrs. Whipp, "not man for the Sabbath, to go and hear that man talk through his nose!" "Now, Charlotte, I refused to go home to dinner with them just so's you and I could have our meal together; so don't you make me sorry." Mrs. Whipp had started up at once alertly on her friend's entrance, spilling Pearl, and was already removing Miss Mehitable's jacket and hat with deft fingers and receiving the silk gloves she pulled off. "H'm, I don't believe they'll eat any better things than we're goin' to have. How can I go to church and have us a good hot dinner?" "Sunday dinner should be cold mainly," returned Miss Upton calmly. "Mine always was till you came. Of course you're such a splendid cook, Charlotte, it's kind of a temptation to you to spoil me and feed me up, yet you know I ought not to eat much." "Oh, pshaw," returned Mrs. Whipp. "More folks die from the lack o' good things than from eatin' 'em." "You'll have to look out," said Miss Mehitable warningly, following her friend's lead to the sunny living-room where the table was spread. "It's a sayin' that good cooks are always cross. The better you cook the more you must watch to have your temper as sweet as your sauces." "Ho! Vinegar's just as important as oil," retorted the other. "You're so smooth to everybody it's a good thing I came to live with you and keep you from bein' imposed upon." Miss Mehitable laughed. "You think together we make a pretty good salad, do you?" she returned. When dinner was on the table and they were both seated, Miss Upton spoke again: