"Most people would call him too good for her," Morris replied. "And, in a worldly point of view, she is doing well, while Mr. Cameron, I believe, is better than three-fourths of the men who marry our girls. He is very proud; but that results from his education and training. Looking only from a New York standpoint he misjudges country people, but he will appreciate you by and by. Do not begin by hating him so cordially."
"Yes, but this money. Now, Morris, we do not want him to get Katy's outfit. I would rather go without clothes my whole life. Shall I send it back?"
"I think that the best disposition to make of it," Morris replied. "As your brother, I can and will supply Katy's needs."
"I knew you would, Morris. What should we do without you?" and Helen smiled gratefully upon the doctor, who in word and deed was to her like a dear brother. "And I'll send it to-day, in time to keep that dreadful Mrs. Ryan from coming; for, Morris, I won't have any of Wilford Cameron's dressmakers in the house."
Morris could not help smiling at Helen's energetic manner as she hurried to his library and taking his pen wrote to Wilford Cameron as follows: "SILVERTON, May 9th.
"Mr. WILFORD CAMERON: I give you credit for the kindest of motives in sending the check, which I now return to you, with my compliments. We are not as poor as you suppose, and would almost deem it sacrilege to let another than ourselves provide for Katy so long as she is ours. And furthermore, that Mrs. Ryan's services will not be needed, so it is not worth her while to make a journey here for nothing. Yours, "HELEN LENNOX."
Helen felt better after this letter had gone, wondering often how it would be received, and if Wilford would be angry. She hoped he would, and his mother too. "The idea of sending that Ryan woman to us, as if we did not know anything!" and Helen's lip curled scornfully as she thus denounced the Ryan woman, whose trunk was all packed with paper patterns and devices of various kinds when the letter arrived saying she was not needed. Being a woman of few words, she quietly unpacked her patterns and went back to the work she was engaged upon when Mrs. Cameron proposed her going into the country. Juno, on the contrary, flew into a violent passion to think their first friendly advances should be thus received. Bell laughed immoderately, saying she rather liked Helen Lennox's spirit, and almost wished her brother had chosen her instead of the other, who, she presumed, was a milk and water thing, even if Mrs. Woodhull did extol her so highly. Mrs. Cameron felt the rebuff keenly, wincing under it, and saying "that Helen Lennox must be a very rude, ill-bred girl," and hoping her son would draw the line of division between his wife and her family so tightly that the sister could never pass over it. She had received the news of her son's engagement without opposition, for she knew the time for that was passed. Wilford would marry Katy Lennox, and she must make the best of it, so she offered no word of remonstrance, but, when they were alone, she said to him: "Did you tell her? Does she know it all?"