little wooden farmhouse in a desolate part of the country. I did not
know what luxury was. Here I have a maid, a suite of rooms, an
automobile, and all manner of wonderful things, all of my own."

"Will you be willing," Stella asked calmly, "to pay the price when the
time comes?"

Virginia looked at her wonderingly.

"The price?" she asked. "What do you mean?"

Stella laughed a little hardly.

"Little girl," she said, "you are very young. Let me tell you this. My
father never did a kind action in his life for its own sake. He never
befriended any one for any other motive than that some day or other he
meant to exact some return for it. Your time hasn't come yet, but there
will be something some day which will help you to understand."

Virginia sat upright in her seat. A very becoming touch of colour had
stolen into her cheeks, and her eyes were bright.

"I like to talk to you, Stella," she said, "because you are my cousin,
and none of these other people are even my friends yet, but I cannot
listen to you if you talk like this of the man who has been so kind to
me, especially," she added, "as he is your father and my uncle."

Stella leaned over and patted her hand patronizingly.

"Silly little girl!" she said. "Never mind, we shall be friends some