profession had saddened and disturbed her. "It's right kind of you to
take so much trouble, Mrs. Tarbell," she said, buttoning up her
gossamer. "I feel as grateful to you as _can_ be; but I don't think I'll
tell Celandine all you've said, because--"

"Perhaps it would be wiser," said Mrs. Tarbell impatiently.

"And then, in a week or so--"

"Precisely; a week or so." Mrs. Tarbell found that _precisely_ was a
very short and lawyer-like word, so she repeated it.

"Well, then--" said Mrs. Stiles.

"Some time during the morning," said Mrs. Tarbell; and she turned to the
office-boy, with whom she began to converse in an undertone. Mrs. Stiles
came walking across the floor, slow and lugubrious. She bade Mrs.
Tarbell good-day. Mrs. Tarbell bowed her out as quickly as possible,
and then waited for a couple of minutes to give her time to get out of
the way.

But on going down-stairs Mrs. Tarbell found her standing in the
door-way, holding her umbrella half open and peering out into the rain,
Mrs. Stiles explained that she was waiting for a car.

"They run every two or three minutes," said Mrs. Tarbell sweetly.
"_Good_-day."

"Here's one now," said Mrs. Stiles. "Mrs. Tarbell, I just wanted to
say--mebbe you might think I wasn't appreciative of your kindness, and