Mr. Evringham cleared his throat.  The situation might have been a little easier if Mrs. Forbes had not been present, but as it was, he had never felt so embarrassed in his life.

“Now eat your oatmeal, Julia,” said the housekeeper repressively.  “Mr. Evringham always reads his paper at breakfast.”

“Yes,” replied the child with docility.  She poured the cream from a small silver pitcher with a neatness that won Mrs. Forbes’s approval; and Mr. Evringham read over headlines in the paper, while he sipped his coffee, without understanding in the least the meaning of the words.  Mrs. Forbes was right.  Discipline must be maintained.  This was the time during which he wished to read his paper, and it was most astonishing to be so vigorously taken possession of by an utter stranger.  Now was the time to repress her if she were to be repressed.  Mrs. Forbes was right.  After a while he glanced across at the child.  She looked very small and clean, and she was ready with a quick smile for him; but she put a little forefinger against her lips jocosely.  He cleared his throat again and averted his eyes, rumpling the paper as he turned a leaf.

Mrs. Forbes left the room with the oatmeal dishes.

Jewel leaned forward quickly.  “Grandpa,” she said earnestly, “if you would declare every day, over and over, that no error could come near your house, I think she would go away of her own accord.”

Mr. Evringham stared, open paper in hand.  “What?  Who?”

“Mrs. Forbes.”

“Go away?  Mrs. Forbes?  What are you thinking of!  I couldn’t get on without Mrs. Forbes.”

“Oh!” Jewel leaned back with the long-drawn exclamation.  “I thought she was what made you look sorry.”

“No indeed.  I have enough things to make me sorry, but she isn’t one of them.”

“Do you like her?” wonderingly.

“I—­why—­I respect her profoundly.”

“Oh!  It must be lots easier to respect her pro—­the way you do, than to like her; but,” with firm lips, “I’ve got to love her.  I told Anna Belle so this morning, and especially if you want her to stay.”

“Bless my soul!” Mr. Evringham looked in dismay as his vis-a-vis.  “You must be very careful, Julia, not to offend or trouble her in any way,” he said.

“All right, grandpa, I will, and then will you do me a favor too?”

“I must hear it first.”

“Would you mind calling me Jewel?  You know it isn’t any matter about the rest, because they’re not my real relations, but Julia is mother’s name, and Jewel is mine; and when I love people very much, I like them to call me Jewel.”

Mrs. Forbes here entered with a tray, and Mr. Evringham merely said, “Very well,” twice over, and retreated into his newspaper.

On the tray were boiled eggs.  Jewel glanced quickly up at Mrs. Forbes’s impassive face.  She might have remembered.  Probably she did remember.