"The house must be got ready for visitors," Angela informed Janice. "Two former pupils--and one of them is ill." When she said this Angela paused. How did she know Meredith was ill? "Shall I open the west wing?" asked Janice, alert as to her duties. "Open everything. Have the place at its best; but I would like the younger sister, Mrs. Thornton, to have the chamber on the south, the guest chamber." When Janice had departed, Sister Constance appeared. In her early days Constance had been a famous nurse and for years afterward the head of a school for nurses. Her eyes brightened now as she listened to her superior. She had long chafed under the strain of inaction. She listened and nodded. "Everything shall be done as you wish, Sister," she said at last, and Angela knew that it would be. Lastly, old Jed was called from his outside duties and stood, battered hat in hand, to receive his commands. Jed was old and black and his wool was white as snow; his strong, perfect teeth glittered with gold fillings. How the old man had fallen to this vanity no one knew, but sooner or later all the money he made was converted into fillings. "They do say," he once explained to Sister Angela, "that 'tain't all gold as glitters, but dis year yaller in my mouth, ma'am, is right sure gold an' it's like layin' up treasure in heaven, for no moth nor rust ain't ever going to distroy anythin' in my mouth. No, ma'am! No corruption, nuther." Jed, listening to Sister Angela, now, was beaming and shining. "I want you to go to Stone Hedgeton to-morrow, Uncle Jed. You better start early. You must meet every train until you see a young lady--she will be looking about for someone--and bring her here. In between trains make yourself and the horses comfortable at the tavern. I'm glad you do not drink, Jed." "Yes-m," pondered Jed, "but I 'spect there might be mo' dan one young lady. I reckon it would be disastering if I fotched the wrong one. Isn't thar something 'bout her discounterments as might be leading, as yo' might say, ma'am?" "Jed, I rely upon you to bring the right young lady!" There was no use of further arguing. Jed shuffled off. Alone, of all the household, little Mary Allan was not taken into Sister Angela's confidence, and this was unfortunate, for Mary ran well in harness, but was apt to go a bit wild if left to her own devices. What people did not confide to Mary she generally found out for herself. Mary was known to Silver Gap as the "last of them Allans." Her father and mother both died soon after Mary showed signs of persisting--her ten brothers and sisters had refused to live, and when Mary was left to her fate Sister Angela rescued her, and the girl had been trained for entrance into a Sisterhood later on.