The Second Violin

len slide down from her

picking up the various articles she had been using in

d Celia's knee was so far mended that she could be about the house without her crutches,

started for the door now, after casting one hasty look around t

sh back into the tub from which she had lately emerged, and which Charlotte had not yet emptied, she found her means of entertainment at an end. The other toile

uliar trick of swinging slowly open an inch after it had apparently been closed, and

e door of her room, ajar; and since doors ajar have somehow a si

er room little Ellen was familiar, but not with this. The tiny feet travelled eagerly about, from one desirable object to another. And present

urgled with delight. Two more journeys deposited a shoe, a hair-brush and a small box, contents un

four rooms--a "den," a dining-room and two bedrooms. They represented the work of the winter, pursued under the e

at it all the more zealously. And she had gone on from one room to another, in her designing, with the hope that if in one she failed to

he should be free for a few hours, to make the much-dreaded, wholly-longed

wings, with an edge or two of brilliant colour showing, trotted gaily over to the table. She stood on tipt

nd carefully tore a corner off it, and cast the sheet down in favour of the next in order. This she

tter of little feet, a laugh of pleasure--"Da!" c

had received its initial plunge into a new state of being. Four of the drawi

erson whom she had left, as she thought, shut up in the safe bath-room. She expected to hear Ellen crying, as was likely to be the case when l

ght. She stopped short, staring with wild eyes into the bath-tub; then she caught her treasures out of it, held them dr

ne, out of a small sketch-book which had been on the table with the drawings. She looked up, a most enga

d the sketch-book and whirled the baby to her feet. "Oh! Is this the way

d stood looking down at her with blazing eyes. The small head was clasped in two little fists, as the child tore at her yellow curls, her infant soul sti

r an hour? Surely. B

otte's face was white, her eyes brillia

something of mine, and I'm so angry

uncle to think what he might. He looked grave as he sooth

nd, little one, never mind. Baby doesn't know--but John Rayburn does--that this being a means of education to other people is a thankless task sometimes. Don't cry. Aunty Charl

e luncheon, her lips pressed tight together, her eyes heav

in Rayburn forbore to look at Charlotte. But Jeff, when he came in, observed at once

ck with the pictures and b

N

afternoon,

N

ought that w

ghting hard for self-cont

o tell me. You look like a ghos

no! Pleas

tell me what's up.

ued her into her room before she could turn and close the door, "what's the us

ce in her hands. Jeff glanced helplessly from her to the table in t

to the wall-paper?

otte

ha

the attic, if

surveyed the havoc. He came

id it

--bat

-imp! Are th

u s

they show what they were, Fiddle--I vow they do. I'd take them jus

it vigorously. "Offer work in such

do them

ain. "If I can g

I'm mighty sorry, though. It's simply tough to have it happen at the last minute. You'r

out that it was the sort of thing they would like, it wouldn't seem so hard to do them al

te. Mid-term exams this week. Cheer up, Fiddle,

came to her uncle for the baby

" he asked, with a keen l

k was against the little head

night will you come and

aint smile. "She wasn't to blame.

oaxingly. "I have had rather a busy day with Ell

is sharp eyes observing in her aspect the signs of misery in spite of a brave attempt to seem cheerful, made up his mind

c candle of his own in his pocket. By means of this he soon discovered Charlotte's ruined work, which she had not yet found hea

ches. As he looked, his lips drew into a whistle of surprise and admirat

sound sleep of the healthy boy, found h

aptain Rayburn, smiling at his nephew in the dim white l

he grunted, blin

ing to do with her colour drawings? Sho

now about it?" Jeff was up on his

t it--exc

l you? I didn'

and found out. You may a

got 'em done. You ought to have seen them; they were great. I told

e were th

ddle that she ought to cultivate that colour sense, or whatever it was, I forget what he called it--for she had it to an unusual degree. Charlotte has cultivated it for

etimes they are, though, son. The little second violin hasn

proudly. "She's not that sort. She's all brok

s early in the morning, while Charlotte is busy with her Saturday baking.

hould be done. The work shows perfectly well what s

pleasure to see the way the boy invariably stood by his sister. It was a characteristic of the Birch family, as a whole, whic

his nephew returned, begging pardon for their tardiness,

rnatural gravity, "come up to Uncle Ray's

ch overspread his ruddy countenance as he turned away. But something he could not

Jeff rose from the couch, where his nose had be

by the Score wherever Captain Rayburn

nstant as Charlotte dropped into a chair. Her usually bright face wa

t again, cleared his throat, laughed nervously, and strode suddenly across the room to his sister. He thrust out his hand as he came

d and pumped it up and down. She glanced in bewilderm

too," h

n her throat. Her heart began to thump wi

ck. He would look at anything, listened to the story about the baby, looked at the stuff. Face changed--didn't it, Uncle Ray?--from politeness to interest, and all the rest of it. Said the work had faults, of course--you expected that, Fiddle--but it showed

him for a minute; then she jumped up, turned toward Captain Rayburn with a face on fire with co

ispleasure, staring at his uncle. But Captain

ver can tell what a woman will do, but you can

pose she was a

I don't think she was ang

, nearly strangling him. A breezy swirl of skirts, and Captain Rayburn feared fo

, an expression of great delight irradiating his countenance. Then he loo

if she did," agreed