Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: CHAPTER III IN MRS. ALLEN'S ROOM A Weak, fretful voice greeted Katharine's ears as she softly opened the door of her mother's room. "How soon will she be here, do you suppose ?" the voice was asking, " and will she be sure to bring samples with her ?" " She ought to be here at any moment now," responded a low, quiet voice?a voice whose first sound inspired Katharine with a warm sense of comfort, even before she saw the speaker. " Well, I hope she won't bring anything cheap. Cheap mourning is so tawdry," her mother's voice was beginning again, when she caught sight of Katharine., "Mother !" sobbed the girl, and her self-control suddenly leaving her, she dropped on her knees beside her mother's couch. Mrs. Allen gave way to a burst of hysterical weeping. " There, there, how could you!" she cried pettishly. " Coming in like that when I was just beginning to recover. Isn't it all horrible enough for me to bear without having a great, strong girl like you giving way and upsetting me again ! Do stop her crying, Miss Coatlee. Tell her how bad it is for me," she appealed to the nurse, giving Katharine an impatient push. Katharine dried her eyes quickly and lifted her head, trying bravely to smile. "Forgive me, mother dear," she said gently. " I won't give way again. It was because I am so sorry for you." She leaned over as she knelt, and put her strong young arms around her mother. But Mrs. Allen drew back coldly. " You need not waste your sorriness then; if it's only for me and none for your own loss. I call it ungrateful, to say the least, after all that your father was to you, not to mourn his death. And such a death !" She put her handkerchief to her eyes and her face puckered like a child's that is denied its own way. Katharine rose, terribly...