Then Mrs. Carroll laughed, not a laugh of embarrassment, but a delightful, spontaneous peal, and the others, even Major Arms, who had looked solemnly nonplussed, joined her. Eddy ate his cereal with a sly eye of delight upon the mirthful faces. "Yes," said he, further. "I wish you'd stay here all the time, Major Arms, and stay engaged to Ina instead of marrying her; then all the rest of us would have enough to eat. We always have plenty when you are here." He looked around for further applause, but he did not get it. Charlotte gave him a sharp poke in the side to institute silence. "What are you poking me for, Charlotte?" he asked, aggrievedly. She paid no attention to him. "Don't you think it is strange we don't hear from papa?" said Charlotte. Major Arms stared at her. "Do you mean to say you have not heard from him since he went away?" he asked. "Not a word," replied Mrs. Carroll, cheerfully. "I am a little uneasy about papa," said Ina, but she went on eating her breakfast quite composedly. "I should be if I had ever known him to fail to take care of himself," said Mrs. Carroll. "It's the other folks that had better look out," remarked Eddy, with perfect innocence, though would-be wit. He looked about for applause. Arms's eyes twinkled, but he bent over his plate solemnly. "Eddy, you are talking altogether too much," Anna Carroll said. "You are unusually silly this morning, Eddy," said Charlotte. "There is no point in such a remark as that." "You said Arthur had gone to Chicago?" Arms said to Mrs. Carroll. "Well, the funny part of it is, we don't exactly know whether he has or not," replied Mrs. Carroll, "but we judge so. Arthur had been talking about going to Chicago. He had spoken about the possibility of his having to go for some time, and all of a sudden that morning came a telegram from New York saying that he was called away on business." "Amy, of course he went to Chicago," Anna Carroll said, quickly. "You know there is no doubt of it. He said he might have to go there on business, and he had carried a dress-suit case in to the office, to have it ready, and he had given you the Chicago hotel address." "Yes, so he did, Anna," assented Mrs. Carroll. "I suppose he must have gone to Chicago." "You have written him there, I suppose?" said Arms, who was evidently perturbed. "Oh yes," replied Mrs. Carroll, easily, "I have written three times." "Did you put a return address on the corner of the envelope in case he was not there?" "Oh no! I never do. I thought only business men did that." "Amy doesn't even date her letters," said Ina. "I never can remember the date," said Mrs. Carroll, "and I never can remember whether it is Banbridge or Banridge, so I never write the name of the place, either." "And she always signs her name just Amy," said Charlotte. "Yes, I do, of course," said Mrs. Carroll, smiling. Arms turned to Anna Carroll. "You have not felt concerned?" said he to her.