Aunt Charlotte's wavering tremulous forefinger traced circles round and round on her knee--round and round. The heavy black brows were drawn into a frown. She looked an age-old seeress sitting there in her black. "Well." She got up slowly and came over to the crib. She stood there a moment. "It's a brave lie, Lottie. You stick to it, for her. A topsy-turvy world she's come into. Perhaps she'll be the one to work out what we haven't done--we Thrift girls. She's got a job ahead of her. A job." Lottie leaned forward in the darkness. "I'll never stand in her way. She's going to be free. I know. I'll never hamper her. Not in word, or look, or thought. You'll see." "You probably will, Lottie. You're human. But I won't be here to see. Not I. And I'm not sorry. I've hardly been away from the spot where I was born, but I've seen the world. I've seen the world.... Well...." She went toward the door with her slow firm step, putting each foot down flat; along the hall she went, her black silk skirts making a soft susurrus. Lottie rose, opened a window to the sharp spring air. Then, together, she and Charley tiptoed out, stopping a moment, hand in hand at the crib. The nursery room was quiet except for the breathing of the child. THE END * * * * * THE COUNTRY LIFE PRESS GARDEN CITY, N. Y. [Transcriber's Note: Inconsistent hyphens left as printed. Chapter XVIII used twice. The second occurrence changed to Chapter XIX.] * * * * * _Books by_ EDNA FERBER BUTTERED SIDE DOWN CHEERFUL, BY REQUEST EMMA MCCHESNEY & CO. DAWN O'HARA FANNY HERSELF HALF PORTIONS PERSONALITY PLUS ROAST BEEF MEDIUM THE GIRLS _With Newman Levy_ $1200 A YEAR