"No, indeed!" exclaimed Mr. Starkweather, at once. "I will not allow it. You are not to be trusted in this city. I shall send you back to that place you came from--ahem!--Sunset Ranch, is it? That is the place for a girl like you." "But, Uncle----" "No more! I will listen to nothing else from you," he declared, harshly. "I shall purchase your ticket through to-morrow, and the next day you must go. Ahem! Remember that I _will_ be obeyed." Helen looked at him with tear-dimmed eyes for fully a minute. But he said no more and his stern countenance, as well as his unkind words and tone, repelled her. She put out her hand once, as though to speak, but he turned away, scornfully. It was her last attempt to soften him toward her. He might then, had he not been so selfish and haughty, have made his peace with the girl and saved himself much trouble and misery in the end. But he ignored her, and Helen, crying softly, left the room and stole up to her own place in the attic. She could not see anybody that evening, and so did not go down to dinner. Later, to her amazement, Maggie came to her door with a tray piled high with good things--a very elaborate repast, indeed. But Helen was too heartsick to eat much, although she did not refuse the attention--which she laid to the kindness of Lawdor, the butler. But for once she was mistaken. The tray of food did not come from Lawdor. Nor was it the outward semblance of anybody's kindness. The tray delivered at Helen's door was the first result of a great fright! At dinner the girls could not wait for their father to be seated before they began to tell him of the amazing thing that had been revealed to them that afternoon by Jessie Stone. "Where's Cousin Helen, Gregson?" asked Belle, before seating herself. "See that she is called. She may not have heard the gong." If Gregson's face could display surprise, it displayed it then. "Of course, dear Helen has returned; hasn't she?" added Hortense. "I'll go up myself and see if she's here," Flossie suggested. "Ahem!" said the surprised Mr. Starkweather. "I listened sharply for her, but I did not hear her pass my door," said Hortense. "I must ask her to come back to that spare room on the lower floor," sighed Belle. "She is too far away from the rest of the family." "Girls!" gasped Mr. Starkweather, at length finding speech. "Oh, you needn't explode, Pa!" ejaculated Belle. "We are aware of something about Helen that changes the complexion of affairs entirely." "What does this mean?" demanded Mr. Starkweather, blankly. "Something about Helen?" "Yes, indeed, Pa," said Flossie, spiritedly. "Who do you suppose owns that Sunset Ranch she talks about?" "And who do you suppose is worth a quarter of a million dollars--more than _you_ are worth, Pa, I declare?" cried Hortense.