tly responsible."

"No, indirectly. Via Mr. Wilcox."

"Let me tell you once for all that if you take up that attitude, I'll
do nothing. No doubt you're right logically, and are entitled to say
a great many scathing things about Henry. Only, I won't have it. So
choose."

Helen looked at the sunset.

"If you promise to take them quietly to the George I will speak to Henry
about them--in my own way, mind; there is to be none of this absurd
screaming about justice. I have no use for justice. If it was only a
question of money, we could do it ourselves. But he wants work, and that
we can't give him, but possibly Henry can."

"It's his duty to," grumbled Helen.

"Nor am I concerned with duty. I'm concerned with the characters of
various people whom we know, and how, things being as they are, things
may be made a little better. Mr. Wilcox hates being asked favours; all
business men do. But I am going to ask him, at the risk of a rebuff,
because I want to make things a little better."

"Very well. I promise. You take it very calmly."

"Take them off to the George, then, and I'll try. Poor creatures! but
they look tired." As they parted, she added: "I haven't nearly done with
you, though, Helen. You have been most self-indulgent. I can't get over
it. You have less restraint rather than more as you grow older. Think it
over and alter yourself, or we shan't have happy lives."

She rejoined Henry. Fortunately he had been sitting down: these physical
matters were important. "Was it townees?" he asked, greeting her with a
pleasant smile.

"You'll never believe me," said Margaret, sitting down beside him. "It's
all right now, but it was my sister."

"Helen here?" he cried, preparing to rise. "But she refused the
invitation. I thought hated weddings."

"Don't get up. She has not come to the wedding. I've bundled her off to
the George."

Inherently hospitable, he protested.

"No; she has two of her proteges with her and must keep with them."

"Let 'em all come."

"My dear Henry, did you see them?"

"I did catch sight of a brown bunch of a woman, certainly."

"The brown bunch was Helen, but did you catch sight of a sea-green and
salmon bunch?"

"What! are they out bean-feasting?"

"No; business. They wanted to see me, and later on I want to talk to you
about them."

She was ashamed of her own diplomacy. In dealing with a Wilcox, how
tempting it was to lapse from comradeship, and to give him the kind of
woman