"Not tonight. But I have arranged for a car and Shields will drive us over tomorrow. We can stay there for a few days. I shall welcome the change for this place has been very stupid for me, my dear." "Poor mamma! I've been selfish. It'll be a lark seeing Cora Truxton again!" Pola had explained to Sidney: "We met the Truxtons at Nice. Cora and Millicent are both older, but they're the _cutest_ girls. Will we go in the morning, mamma?" Pola's manner had indicated that the coming of the Truxtons into their plans raised a barrier that now excluded Sidney. Throughout the dinner she had talked exclusively of the trip on the morrow and the renewing of that acquaintance that had begun in Nice. But Sidney felt nothing but a sense of escape. She found Aunt Achsa alone in the cottage on Sunset Lane. She was sitting on the doorstep, "coolin' off." Sidney sat down beside her. "Where's Lavender?" she asked, wishing Lavender was at home that she might begin her "making up" at once. "Don't know. And I wish I did. Don't know what's gotten into that boy. I'm as worried as can be." "About Lav? Oh, what's the matter?" For Aunt Achsa was close to tears. Something must have happened to break her habitual optimism. "He's acted so queer like lately. Cal'late you'd of noticed it if you hadn't been off so much with Mr. Dugald's folks. I thought it might a' been his stomach and I put a powder into his coffee, but he ain't been a mite different--" "But what does he do, Aunt Achsa? He looks all right--" Now Aunt Achsa hesitated. One tear separated itself from its fellows and rolled down her withered cheek and dropped upon her withered hand. She looked at it, startled, then lifted her hand and dashed it across her eyes. "I swum, I'm cryin'. Don't know as I know when I've cried before. And cryin' before I have anything as I can see to cry for. But Sidney, I set such a lot on that boy--it's like I was his mother and his father and his brothers and his sisters all mixed up in one--gran'ma, too. He was such a little mite when I took him, y'see and then he's not like other boys and I've had to do a heap of lovin' to make up to him. I've prayed every day of my life for the Lord to keep him happy in spite of things and that was a pretty big prayer for I don't suppose the Lord wants us all to be happy all the time, that ain't His way of bringing us up. But I thought He might make an exception for Lav. Land sakes, how I go on--and you nigh to cryin' yourself." For she had caught Sidney blinking back something glistening from her own eyes. "Aunt Achsa, Lavender is wonderful. He's talked to me a lot and he's going to be a great man some day, I know. He has the grandest plans shut away in his heart and he _is_ happy--" Aunt Achsa looked at her, startled. "Plans--how _can_ he when he's--" She bit off the words. Her lips trembled.