"And I'll sell my car, Uncle," Janice said gayly. "That'll help some. And my board money. That comes regularly, thank goodness! "Of course," she pursued, "as Marty says, we can hire the house to live in if you have to lose the dear old place. We'll be all right." "'Tain't that. I can work yet," groaned Uncle Jase. "It's losin' all we've saved." "Well! whose fault is that?" demanded his wife; but Janice stopped her. "Now, Auntie, Marty's said the last word on _that_ topic. Let us not waste our time in recrimination. We must get a new outlook on life, that is all." "But all I gotter say----" "You've said it, Ma, already," put in Marty. "Don't spread it on thicker. Dad ain't likely to forget it. You don't have to keep reminding him of it." It was hard on the woman, this shutting off her speech. As with many shallow-minded folk, speech was Aunt 'Mira's safety valve. Afterward, when Uncle Jason had gone down town "to see about it" and Marty had accompanied him (the first time in all probability since he was a child the boy had ever willingly accompanied his father anywhere) the pent-up torrent of Aunt 'Mira's feelings burst upon Janice's head. She put away her books with a sigh. The morrow was a school holiday, anyway. "Aunt 'Mira," she said softly, "don't you suppose Uncle Jason feels this thing keenly? Don't you think his very soul must be embittered because he has made this mistake?" "Mistake!" repeated the fretful woman. "Needn't ha' been no mistake. If he'd asked me----" "You would have been no wiser than he, Aunt 'Mira," Janice interrupted with confidence. "I know you. I remember how you had this Mr. Hotchkiss to tea here one night some months ago, and how pleasant he seemed. I expect that must have been when Uncle Jason was about to indorse his notes and he wanted your opinion of the man." "Goodness, Janice! do you suppose so?" gasped Aunt 'Mira. "Yes, I do. You know how uncle is--he doesn't talk much, but he thinks a lot of your opinion. And I know he must feel worse over losing your confidence than over losing the money." "Why, he ain't lost my confidence!" cried her aunt. "I know he never meant to do it." "Then tell him so when he comes home, dear," Janice whispered with her arms about her aunt's neck. "Don't be harsh to him at a time when he needs all the sympathy we can give him." Aunt Almira cried a little, then wiped her eyes and kissed her niece. "You're a great comfort, Janice. What we should do without you I dunno. An' I guess ye air right. We women only hafter suffer for a man's fool tricks. But the man has to suffer and make good for 'em, too. Poor Jase!" CHAPTER IV "I TOLD YOU SO" Janice thought at once of her father when this serious trouble for Uncle Jason and the family arose. She said nothing about doing so, but before going to bed that night she wrote Mr. Broxton Day about his brother's trouble.