Sorry you didn’t see her this afternoon? Oh, I’m sure she’ll understand. You had a bad headache and had to go right home to bed! Say now, that’s tough luck. You take care of yourself, Aunt Agatha. Oh, sure I’ll tell Jen. She’ll understand. Thanks a lot, Aunt Ag! Yep! We’re all right! Right’s we can be under the circumstances! Oh, sure, Aunt Ag. We know we had your sympathy! It means a lot and all that, you understand. Yes, I’ll take care of Jen. She’s doing fine. She’s getting the kids inta line now fer a bath and dinner! Oh, sure! I’ll tell her. No, she wouldn’t expect you ta come. So long, Aunt Ag! See you soon.”

Jeremy hung up and turned grinning, repeating a few of Aunt Agatha’s sentences, mimicking her little affected accents.

“She’s ‘just ahf-ly sorry she cawn’t come over this evening and chee-ah you up!’” Then suddenly Jeremy lifted his eyes and his gaze fell upon the picture of his mother there on the chiffonier before him, and his voice failed him. An unbidden mist came into his eyes. He was standing there making fun of his mother’s sister! Of course, if mother had been there she would only have laughed merrily over his clever imitation of the affectation, which she had always acknowledged herself, but somehow it got him for the moment, and he had to go over to the window and get out his handkerchief and blow his nose hard. And then, right in the midst of that the telephone rang again, and he whirled around quickly and took down the receiver again.

“Yes, Aunt Lutie!” His voice was a bit hoarse and his tone grave now. “Oh yes, Aunt Lutie. It was nice of you to call. Yes, this is Jerry. Well, that’s kind of you, but I guess you’ll have to excuse us tonight, Aunt Lutie. I don’t think Jen feels up to it and neither do I. Roast duck? Oh, I say! That sounds swell! But I guess you’ll have to excuse us tonight. Jen and I are about all in. Oh yes, the kids are all right. They’ve had a good long nap this afternoon, and I expect they’ll go to sleep again early tonight! Thank you for calling, Aunt Lutie.”

“Oh,” sighed Jennifer, “you’re swell! I’ll send you to the phone every time. And now, I guess we’d better get to work again. I’ve got a money belt for you to wear, and you had better put it on right now.” She stepped nearer and whispered.

The brother nodded.

“Okay!” he said. “Say, that was great Dad left that money! Looks almost as if he knew we were going to need it!” His voice was husky again with feeling. “There! Isn’t that Karen calling? Say, are you going to tell the kids what we’re going to do?”

“Not till Maggie and Letty are gone,” said Jennifer decidedly. “One of them would be sure to forget and yell out something and then our goose would be cooked. If either of those two women found it out they wouldn’t go! They would think it was their duty to stay and stop us, or else go and tell Aunt Petra.