During the long walk home to Constantine Road the elder and the younger lady maintained an absolute silence. As soon as they got to the house Mrs. Steward turned to Elma for the first time and spoke. "Find out immediately if your mother is in. If she is tell her I wish to see her. Go; don't stare at me." Elma went without a word. Her mother was in, and so was Carrie. "Mother," said Elma, "Aunt Charlotte wants to see you." "Why, my dear Elma, what is the matter? How queer you look!" "Don't mind about me, mother, pray; the expression of my face is not worth considering. Aunt Charlotte is waiting for you in the dining-room." Mrs. Lewis gave a profound sigh. "How very unreasonable of Charlotte!" she said; "she will doubtless be expecting more tea and cream and fresh eggs, and other impossibilities." "Oh, go mother, and stop talking," said Elma. Mrs. Lewis dragged herself up from the sofa on which she was reclining. "I really don't know what the world is coming to," she said. "Even my own children are turning out quite disagreeable to me. Dear! dear! what it is to be a mother! How little those who are fortunate in not possessing children understand the burden!" She went, downstairs slowly, and Elma turned to Carrie. Carrie was standing with her back to her; she was making up something in tissue-paper. "Well, Elma," she said, looking up at her sister, "what is up?" "Everything is up," said Elma. "What do you mean?" "Everything is up and everything is over. What are you doing with that paper, Carrie?" "I am folding up the money I have just got for Kitty Malone?" "The money you have got for Kitty Malone! Has--has Sam Raynes returned the sovereigns?" "Bless you, poor Sam can't do impossibilities. No; this money has nothing whatever to do with Sam. I am folding it up, and giving her a little account with it. We got exactly eleven pounds eleven shillings for the clothes and the watch and chain. She can redeem them all within a month if she likes. Here is the pawnbroker's receipt; tell her to keep it until she does. She can redeem them whenever she cares to pay back eleven pounds eleven shillings with interest. My commission at ten per cent, is one pound three shillings and tenpence--that leaves a balance of ten pounds seven shilling and twopence; it will doubtless get her nicely out of her difficulty. She ought to be thankful to me to her dying day. Look here, Elma, if you are worried about things--and I can guess what is the matter pretty well; for I happen to know that Kitty Malone made a clean breast of your secret not long ago--you will be glad to get out of the house. Here, take this money to her, and be off, can't you?"