The sisters left behind gazed at each other forlornly.

“She certainly is an unprepossessing child,” murmured Miss Maria, “but don’t you think, under the circumstances, that we ought to ask her to pay us a visit?”

Miss Clark the elder contemplated her knitting for a noticeable interval before she answered.

“I don’t see any ‘ought’ about it,” she replied at last, “but I think it would be kind to do so.”

Meanwhile Mr. Clark, stepping into the telegraph office, met Mr. Hapgood coming out.  That worthy looked somewhat startled at the encounter, but pulled himself together and said cheerfully “Just been sending off a wire about our matter.”

When the operator read Mr. Clark’s telegram a few minutes later he said to himself wonderingly, “Emily Leonard sure is the popular lady!”

Mr. Clark was not at all pleased with his sister’s proposal that they invite Mary Smith to make them a visit.

“It will look to Hapgood as if we thought his story true,” he objected, when they suggested the plan the next morning.  “I don’t believe it is true, even if our Emily did marry a Smith, according to Stanley.”

“I don’t believe it is, either,” answered Miss Maria dreamily.  “A great many people marry Smiths.”

“They have to; how are they to do anything else?” inquired the old gentleman testily.  “There is such a lot of them you can’t escape them.  We’re talking about your name, ladies,” he continued as Dorothy and her mother came in, and then he related the story of Hapgood’s visit and the possibility that Mary might prove to belong to them.

“Do you think he honestly believes that she’s the missing heir?” Mrs. Smith asked.

The ladies looked uncertain but there was no doubt in their brother’s mind.

“Not for a moment of time do I think he does,” he shouted.

“But what would be his object?  Why should he try to thrust the child into a perfectly strange family?”

The elder Miss Clark ventured a guess.

“He may want to provide for her future if she’s really an orphan, as he says.”

“I don’t believe she is an orphan.  Before her precious uncle drowned her reply with one of his roars I distinctly heard her say that her father was alive,” retorted the exasperated Mr. Clark.

“The child would be truly fortunate to have all of you dear people to look after her,” Mrs. Smith smiled, “but if her welfare isn’t his reason, what is?”

“I believe it has something to do with that piece of land,” conjectured Mr. Clark.  “He never said a word about it to-night.  That’s a bad sign.  He wants that land and he’s made up his mind to have it and this has something to do with it.”

“How could it have?” inquired Mrs. Smith.