{{betlep235.png}} to ride "properly," with Lucia, for from little things that Lucia said from time to time, she fancied this to be Lucia's last year at Lyon High. But Betty could not do everything. Rid- ing would be just as good another year, her mother said. And now, one lovely week-end, Mrs. Murch- ison sent for Mrs. Lee. The poor bewildered old lady in the suite upstairs was slipping quietly over the border from life here to life eternal. Betty went over to stay with Lucia, who had told Betty before how they had put the dolls away when Grandmother Ferris had seemed to come to herself for a while, though weak, sleep- ing a great deal and finally falling asleep not to waken. "This takes away one reason for Mother's staying here," said Lucia to Betty after the fu- neral, when Betty came after school to stay all night again. "This is what I wanted to talk over with you, Betty. I wrote everything to my father, Betty, and I wrote again to Italy where he is now., I haven't had a word from him in reply to all I said, or about coming, just cards about where he was and how soon he would reach Italy and how he was having the _palazzo_ opened in Milan. Now _that_ may mean some- thing. I left the letter where mother would [[235]]