You must yield to your aunt's
wish and return to her or to Marcia--"
"Impossible!"
"--you must bring me your bills; doubtless we can give up the furniture--"
"Give it up!"
The coolly spoken words struck to my heart. Why, we had just finished
arranging it! But he misunderstood my exclamation, and added:--
"I comprehend your reluctance, and I confess that I should little like to
advise returning goods bought in good faith, if there were any chance of
payment; but--let me see; are you of age?"
"Why, yes; just twenty-one."
"Is it possible? How time passes, to be sure! Yet--ah, the point is not
important; the tradespeople should not have trusted you. Consider that you
are unable to pay; the less of two evils is to return the goods as soon as
possible, that they may be received undamaged."
"Oh, it's not so bad as that?" I said hastily. "Nearly everybody is
willing to wait, and I--you know Aunt Frank doesn't want me, and I should
be a--white elephant to Miss Baker. I must live somewhere. It's not my
fault if my only friends are rich, and if I--but why can't Father--"
"I do not believe your father can pay your debts," he interrupted, "in
addition to the generous sums he has already forwarded, unless--surely you
were not suggesting that he should mortgage the farm in order to--pay for
paintings?"
"I didn't mean that at all!" I cried; "I never thought of that.
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