"Have you heard from any of her relations since--since--you adopted her ?" It seemed a natural enough question, although not the sequitur she had expected.

"No," she said carelessly.

"It was well understood, after the nearest relation--an aunt by marriage--had signed her consent to Susy's adoption, that there should be no further intercourse with the family.
There seemed to us no necessity for reopening the past, and Susy herself expressed no desire." She stopped, and again fixing her handsome eyes on Clarence, said, "Do you know any of them ?" But Clarence by this time had recovered himself, and was able to answer carelessly and truthfully that he did not.

Mrs.Peyton, still regarding him closely, added somewhat deliberately, "It matters little now what relations she has; Mr.Peyton and I have complete legal control over her until she is of age, and we can easily protect her from any folly of her own or others, or from any of the foolish fancies that sometimes overtake girls of her age and inexperience." To her utter surprise, however, Clarence uttered a faint sigh of relief, and his face again recovered its expression of boyish happiness.

"I'm glad of it, Mrs.Peyton," he said heartily.