now, by this? She makes Ruth her heir, Lucy. Don't you see that? And she does it affectionately, too. I can't get over it! I don't know what made the old veteran do such a thing. I don't care much either. All I know is, that we're fixed all right in Hilton society now. Grassmere Ruth's! Good heavens—think of it! Think of the power in my hands, if only Ruth behaves, to pay back a few old scores. I only wish Breck was alive. She'd marry him now, I guess, with all this recognition. I wonder whatever she'll do with Grassmere anyhow."
"Turn it into some sort of institution for making women independent human beings, I'll wager." I laughed, recalling Ruth's words of scarcely a fortnight ago.
"If only she hadn't gotten so abnormal, and queer!" Edith sighed. "Perhaps this stroke of good luck will make her a little more like the rest of us. We must all look out and not let Ruth do anything ridiculous with this fortune of hers."
····· Will and I went over to see Ruth that evening.
"Why, hello!" she called down, surprised, through the tube, in answer to my ring. "Will and you! Really? Come right up."
"She doesn't know," I told Will, pushing open the heavy door and beginning to mount.
"Guess not," agreed my husband. "Here's her evening paper in her box, untouched."
We found Ruth just finishing with the dishes. The
