“You will have to walk a half mile,” Maria observed, when he handed her off and let the car go on.

“I like to walk,” the boy said, fervently.

Maria had her latch-key.  She opened the door hurriedly and ran in.  She was half afraid that this irrepressible young man might offer to kiss her.  “Good-night,” she said, and almost slammed the door in his face.

Aunt Maria had left a light burning low on the hall table.  Maria took it and went up-stairs.  She gathered up the skirt of her gown into a bag to hold the presents, hers and Evelyn’s.

When she entered her own room and set the lamp on the dresser, she was aware of a little, nestling movement in the bed, and Evelyn’s dark head and lovely face raised itself from the pillow.

“I came in here,” said Evelyn, “because I wanted to see you after you came home.  Do you mind?”

“No, darling, of course I don’t mind,” replied Maria.

She displayed Evelyn’s presents, and the girl examined them eagerly.  Maria thought she seemed disappointed even with her own gift of the brooch which she had expected would so delight her.

“Is that all?” Evelyn said.

“All?” laughed Maria.  “Why, you little, greedy thing, what do you expect?”

To her astonishment Evelyn began suddenly to cry.  She sobbed as if her heart would break, and would not tell her sister why she was so grieved.  Finally, Maria having undressed and got into bed, her sister clung closely to her, still sobbing.

“Evelyn, darling, what is it?” whispered Maria.

“You’ll laugh at me.”

“No, I won’t, honest, precious.”

“Honest?”

“Yes, honest, dear.”

“Were those all the presents I had?”

“Yes, of course, I brought you all you had, dear.”

Evelyn murmured something inarticulate against Maria’s breast.

“What is it, dear, sister didn’t hear?”

“I hung a book on the tree for him,” choked Evelyn, “and I thought maybe—­I thought—­”

“Thought what?”

“I thought maybe he would—­”

“Who would?”

“I thought maybe Mr. Lee would give me something,” sobbed Evelyn.

Maria lay still.

Evelyn nestled closer.  “Oh,” she whispered, “I love him so!  I can’t help it.  I can’t.  I love him so, sister!”

Chapter XXXIII

There was a second’s hush after Evelyn had said that.  It seemed to Maria that her heart stood still.  A sort of incredulity, as of the monstrous and the super-human seized her.  She felt as one who had survived a railroad accident might feel looking down upon his own dismembered body in which life still quivered.  She could not seem to actually sense what Evelyn had said, although the words still rang in her ears.  Presently, Evelyn spoke again in her smothered, weeping voice.  “Do you think I am so very dreadful, so—­immodest, to care so much about a man who has never said he cared about me?”