You ought to go at once! You mustn’t think of staying.”

“Oh, but Miss Jennifer, I wouldn’t be asking for anything like that. Not just in the midst of the day’s work as it were¾”

“That’s perfectly all right, Stanton. Just drop everything and go at once. You see, really, I’m thinking of going away myself. In fact, we all may go, only I haven’t told them yet, so you won’t say anything about it, please.”

“Of course not, Miss Jennifer.”

“You see, I was just wondering what to do about you all,” went on Jennifer. “You’ve been especially kind and faithful. I don’t like the idea of sending you away. But it will be certainly all right for you to go at once and stay just as long as you want to, Stanton. The aunts have spoken about our coming to them. But, anyway, we shall not be needing you for a time, and if I were you I’d go right away before any of them come around and go to trying to manage things. I’ll be of age in three months, Stanton, and then I’ll know better what we are going to do. But you are welcome to go now and stay as long as you like.”

“Thank you, Miss Jennifer, that’s very nice of you, and I do appreciate your kindness, but of course I’ll stay till the work is done. You might find that some of the relatives would be staying to dinner, and I might be needed.”

“No, they’ll not be staying to dinner, Stanton! I’ll see to that. And I’ll make everybody understand that I sent you away. They’ll think I sent you on an errand, if they know anything about it at all. Just you get ready at once and go. Do you need any money? I don’t know just how much I have but¾”

“No, Miss Jennifer, oh no! Your father paid me with all the others, paid us a week ahead, just before he left on that trip! You don’t owe us a thing. Your father was always so nice and thoughtful like that. If he was going to be away on our regular pay day, he always paid us ahead. He was a rare man, he was.”

“Yes,” said Jennifer with a catch like a sob in her breath. “Well then, Stanton, you just go right away. And perhaps you’d better take your things with you, because you might need to stay some time, and you wouldn’t want anybody else bothering with your things. I don’t know that they would, but I think you’d feel happier to have your things with you, in case the house should be closed up for a while, or anything, and you couldn’t get something you wanted.”

“Yes, Miss Jennifer, I’ll do that. You’re very thoughtful. I’d not care to have some of the other servants going over my things.”

“I understand,” said Jennifer. “Besides, some of the relatives might think they had the right to go in and look things over. Aunt Petra always thinks she owns the universe.”

Stanton’s face lit up with a kind of satisfaction, but he only said, “You’re very kind, Miss Jennifer. You’re very understanding.”

“And, Stanton,” went on Jennifer, “do you know where the nurse is? If you find her, won’t you send her to me? Maggie says she went on an errand early this morning, but I tried her door and it’s locked. You don’t suppose she’s sick, do you?”

“No, I scarcely think so. I saw her when she started.