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 Miss Comfort watched the others depart, and then she motioned to a chair.

"Won't you sit down, please?" she asked. Laurie sat down, but on the extreme edge of the chair as though to lessen the space between him and the door. "You see," Miss Comfort went on after a pause, "I've wanted to ask you ever since Wednesday how you were doing all this, but I didn't like to when the others were around. Now I do wish you'd tell me, please."

"Yes, ma'am." Laurie gulped. "What—was it you wanted to know, ma'am?"

"Why, who has—has met the expense of all the changes and improvements you have made here, Mr. Laurie."

"Oh," said Laurie. "Oh! Well, you see, Miss Comfort, we haven't done so much after all. Now, you take that hanging lamp. Mrs. Deane had that and wasn't using it—"

"Yes, I know about the lamp," interrupted Miss Comfort gently, "but there's that sink and the awning and—and so many, many things."

"Yes, ma'am," Laurie glanced longingly at the doorway. "Well, now, you'd be surprised how little things like that cost. You take that stove