“Say, Alice,” he said, in the most coaxing way, “don’t you get down on me, too.  Do me a good turn—­that’s a dear.  Take this letter home and deliver it.  Will you?  And say I’m at the hotel waiting for an answer.”

Now, you can see yourself that this was thrilling.  The whole family was watching every mail for a letter from Harry Goward and here he was offering me one!  I didn’t show how excited I was; I just took the letter and turned it over so I couldn’t see the address and slipped it into my pocket, and said, coldly, that I would deliver it with pleasure.  Harry Goward was looking quite cheerful again, but he said, in a worried tone, that he hoped I wouldn’t forget, because it was very, very important.  Then I dismissed him with a haughty bow, the way they do on the stage, and this time he put his hat on and really went.

Of course after that I wanted to go straight home with the letter, but I knew it wouldn’t do to leave Lorraine bearing her terrible burden without some one to comfort her.  While I was trying to decide what to do I saw Billy a block away with Sidney Tracy, and I whistled to him to come, and beckoned with both hands at the same time to show it was important.  I had a beautiful idea.  In that very instant I “planned my course of action,” as they say in books.  I made up my mind that I would send the letter home by Billy, and that would give me time to run over to Maria’s and get something to eat and ask Maria to go and comfort Lorraine.  Maria and Lorraine don’t like each other very much, but I knew trouble might bring them closer, for Grandma Evarts says it always does.  Besides, Maria is dreadfully old and knows everything and is the one the family always sends for when things happen.  If they don’t send she comes anyhow and tells everybody what to do.  So I pinned the letter in Billy’s pocket, so he couldn’t lose it, and I ordered him to go straight home with it.  He said he would.  He looked queer and I thought I saw him drop something near a fence before he came to me, but I was so excited I didn’t pay close attention.  As soon as Billy started off I went to Maria’s.

She was all alone, for Tom was lunching with some one at the hotel.  When we were at the table I told her about Lorraine, and if ever any one was excited and really listened this time it was sister Maria.  She pushed back her chair, and spoke right out before she thought, I guess.  “Charles Edward’s wife crying over another man’s picture!” she said.  “Well, I like that!  But I’m not surprised.  I always said no good would come of that match!”

Then she stopped and made herself quiet down, but I could see how hard it was, and she added:  “So that was the matter with Charles Edward when I met him this morning rushing along the street like a cyclone.”