voice, marking the table with the handle of a fork, in parallel
lines, "and he asked me if I thought--no, that ain't the way he
began. Here's what he said first: he says, 'Miss Thornton,' he says,
'did you know that Miss Wrenn is leaving us?'"

"What!" said all the others together, and Susan added, joyfully,
"Gee, that means forty for me, and the crediting."

"Well, now listen," Miss Thornton resumed. "I says, 'Mr. Brauer,
Miss Wrenn didn't put herself out to inform me of her plans, but
never mind. Although,' I says, 'I taught that girl everything she
ever knew of office work, and the day she was here three weeks Mr.
Philip Hunter himself came to me and said, "Miss Thornton, can you
make anything of her?" So that if it hadn't been for me--'"

"But, Thorny, what's she leaving for?" broke in Susan, with the
excited interest that the smallest change invariably brought.

"Her uncle in Milwaukee is going to pay her expenses while she takes
a library course, I believe," Miss Thornton said, indifferently.
"Anyway, then Brauer asked--now, listen, Susan--he asked if I
thought Violet Kirk could do the crediting--"

"Violet Kirk!" echoed Susan, in incredulous disappointment. This
blow to long-cherished hopes gave her a sensation of actual
sickness.

"Violet Kirk!" the others broke out, indignant and astonished. "Why,
she can't do it! Is he crazy? Why, Joe Hunter himself told Susan to
work up on that! Why, Susan's done all the substituting on that!