as to think of marryin' George Freeman. She'd been better off if
she'd never been married. I thought she'd given up all notions of
it."

"Well, don't you worry, Aunt Jane," said Francis in a hearty voice.
"Make the best of it. I guess they'll get along all right. If George
can't buy Flora a silk dress I will. I'd have bought her one anyway
if I'd known."

"You can stand up for her all you want to, Francis Arms," cried his
aunt. "It's nothin' more than I ought to expect. What do you s'pose
I'm goin' to do? Here I am with all these folks to tea an' Flora
gone. She might have waited till to-morrow. Here they are all pryin'
an' suspectin'. But they shan't know if I die for it. They shan't
know that good-for-nothin' girl went off an' got married unbeknown to
me. They've had enough to crow over because we didn't get Thomas
Maxwell's money; they shan't have this nohow. You'll have to lend me
some money, an' I'm goin' to Boston to-morrow an' I'm goin' to buy a
silk dress for Flora an' get it made, so she can go out bride when
she comes home; an' they've got to come here an' board. I might jest
as well have the board-money as them Freemans, an' folks shan't think
we ain't on good terms. Can you let me have some money to-morrow
mornin'?"

"Of course I can, Aunt Jane," said Francis soothingly. "I'll make
Flora a wedding-present of it."

"I don't want it for a weddin'-present. I'll pay you back some time.
If you're goin' to give her a weddin'-present, I'd rather you'd give
her somethin' silver that she can show. I ain't goin' to have you