"He's practically indispensable to me now--anyhow, I found out that he was when he was laid up for a month last winter. He stands between me and the hands like a strong tower, and takes any amount of responsibility off my shoulders. You'll see for yourself when you've been here longer. The hands like him, and will do anything for him. That's why I put up with some of his notions. They're getting pretty frequent of late, however, and he's becoming a little too meddlesome. I may have to call him down a peg." "You'd think so, I fancy, if you had heard him run on about this mill-girl half an hour ago," laughed Ned. "He said he should speak to you." "Very good. Then I can speak to him," retorted the other, grimly. CHAPTER XX Early in the second week of September the houseful of guests at Hilcrest went away, leaving the family once more alone. "It seems good; doesn't it--just by ourselves," said Margaret that first morning at breakfast. As she spoke three pairs of eyes flashed a message of exultant thankfulness to each other, and three heads nodded an "I told you so!" when Margaret's gaze was turned away. Later, Mrs. Merideth put the sentiment into words, as she followed her brothers to the door. "You see, I was right," she declared. "Margaret only needed livening up. She's all right now, and will be contented here with us." "Sure!" agreed Ned, as he stepped out on to the veranda. Frank paused a moment. "Has she ever been to you again, Della, with money, or--or anything?" he asked in a low voice. "No, never," replied Mrs. Merideth. "She asked once if I'd found the child, Maggie, to give the money to, and I evaded a direct reply. I told her I had put the money into the hands of the Guild, and that they were in constant touch with all cases of need. I got her interested in talking of something else, and she did not say anything more about it." "Good! It's the best way. You know her history, and how morbid she got when she was a child. It won't do to run any chances of that happening again; and I fear 'twouldn't take much to bring it back. She was not a little excited when she brought the money in to me that night. We must watch out sharp," he finished as he passed through the door, and hurried down the steps after his brother. Back in the dining-room Margaret had wandered listlessly to the window. It had been some weeks since she had seen a long day before her with no plans to check off the time into hours and half-hours of expected happenings. She told herself that it was a relief and that she liked it--but her fingers tapped idly upon the window, and her eyes gazed absent-mindedly at a cloud sailing across a deep blue sky.