Charlotte looked at him surprised.  “Why, nothing,” said she, “only I went to every store in town to get your check for twenty-five dollars cashed, and then I had to go to Anderson’s finally.  I should think they must be very poor here.  Are they, papa?”

Carroll went on with his soup.  “Who gave you the check to cash?” he said, in a low voice.

“Aunt Anna,” replied Charlotte.  “Why?”

Anna spoke quite eagerly, and it seemed apologetically.  “Arthur,” said she, “the girls were very anxious to go to the City.”

“Yes,” said Ina, “I really had to go that day.  I wanted to get that silk.  I had that charged; there wasn’t money enough; but it has not come yet.  I don’t see where it is.”

“I let Charlotte take the check,” Anna Carroll said again, still with an air of nervous apology, “but I saw no reason why—­ I thought—­”

“You thought what?” said Carroll.  His voice was exceedingly low and gentle, but Anna Carroll started.

“Nothing,” said she, hastily.  “Nothing, Arthur.”

“Well, I just went everywhere with it,” Charlotte said again; “then I had to go to Anderson, after all.  I just hated to.  I don’t like him.  He laughed when Eddy and I went there to take back the candy.”

“He laughed because we took it back—­a little thing like that,” said Eddy.

Carroll looked at him, and the boy cast his eyes down and took a spoonful of soup with an abashed air.

“He was the only one in Banbridge that seemed to have as much as twenty-five dollars in his money-drawer,” said Charlotte.  “I began to think that Ina and I should have to give up going to New York.”

“Don’t take any more checks around the shops here to cash, honey,” said Carroll.  “Come to me; I’ll fix it up some way.  Amy, dear, are you all ready for the drive?”

“Yes, dear,” said Mrs. Carroll.  She looked unusually pretty that night in a mauve gown of some thin, soft, wool material, with her old amethysts.  Even her dark hair seemed to get amethystine shadows, and her eyes, too.

Carroll regarded her admiringly.

“Amy, darling, you do get lovelier every day,” he said.

The others laughed and echoed him with fond merriment.

“Doesn’t she?” said Ina.

“Amy’s the prettiest girl in this old town,” said Eddy, and all the Carrolls laughed like children.

“Well, I’m glad you all admire me so much,” Mrs. Carroll said, in her sweet drawl, “because—­”

“Because what, honey?” said Carroll.  The boy and the two girls looked inquiringly, but Anna Carroll smiled with slightly vexed knowledge.

“Well,” said Mrs. Carroll, “you must all look at me in my purple gown and get all the comfort you can out of it; you must nourish yourselves through your aesthetic sense, because this soup is all you will get for dinner, except dessert.  There is a little dessert.”

Poor little Eddy Carroll made a slight, half-smothered exclamation.  “Oh, shucks!” he said, then he laughed with the others.  None of them looked surprised.  They all laughed, though somewhat ruefully.