“But I observe by your face that you are not convinced,” Mrs. Enderby went on. “‘This Mrs. Enderby, she is a stupid old creature,’ you think to yourself. ‘I shall go there myself, and I shall discover that which she could not.’” Lexy reddened again. “I don’t mean it that way,” she said. “It’s only that we look at this from different points of view, and I feel—I feel that I’ve got to go.” “Very well!” said Mrs. Enderby, and she, too, rose. “You will please to come to my room with me. There is part of your salary to be paid to you.” Lexy followed her, still flushed, and very reluctant. She wished she could afford to refuse that money. “But I’ve earned it,” she thought; “and goodness knows I’ll need it!” Mrs. Enderby sat down at her desk and took out her check book. While she wrote, Lexy looked out of the window. “The amount due to you, including to-day, is thirty-two dollars,” said Mrs. Enderby. “Here is a check for it.” “Thank you,” said Lexy. “One minute more! Here, my child, is another check.” Lexy stared at it, amazed. It was for one hundred dollars. “But, Mrs. Enderby, I can’t—” “You will please take it and say nothing more. I give you this because I shall give you no reference. I shall answer no inquiries about you. You understand?” “But I don’t want—” Mrs. Enderby pushed back her chair, and rose. She crossed the room to Lexy, put both hands on the girl’s shoulders, and then did something far more astonishing than the gift of the check. She kissed Lexy on the forehead. “Good-by, and God bless you, little honest one!” she said, with a smile. “I think we shall not see each other again, but I shall sometimes remember you. Go, now, and bear in mind that you can always trust Miss Craigie. She is an imbecile, but she can be trusted. _Adieu!_” Lexy’s eyes filled with tears. “_Au revoir!_” she said stoutly; and then, with one of her sudden impulses, she put both arms around Mrs. Enderby’s neck and returned her kiss vigorously. “I’m sorry!” she said. “I’m awfully sorry!” This was their parting. Lexy was thankful that it had been like this, very glad that she could leave the house in good will and kindliness. It strengthened her beyond measure. She wanted to help Caroline, and she wanted to help Mrs. Enderby, too. “And I will!” she thought. “I know that I’m right and she’s wrong! She’s rather terrible, too. Sometimes I think she’d almost rather not find out the truth, if it was going to make what she calls a scandal. She will have it that Caroline’s gone away of her own free will, to get married; and if it’s anything else, she doesn’t want to know. She _is_ hard, but there’s something rather fine about her.” There was no one in the hall when Lexy left, and this was a relief, for she supposed that Mrs. Enderby had told the servants, or would tell them, that Miss Moran had been discharged.