'll try to explain a little more. If
I have a friend, I don't see that it's incumbent upon me to like that
friend's relatives. If I didn't like them, and pretended to, I'd be a
hypocrite. If that friend likes me and wants to stay my friend 'he'll
have to stand my not liking his relatives, or else he can quit. I
decline to be a hypocrite about it; that's all. Now, suppose I have
certain ideas or ideals which I have chosen for the regulation of my own
conduct in life. Suppose some friend of mine has a relative with ideals
directly the opposite of mine, and my friend believes more in the
relative's ideals than in mine: Do you think I ought to give up my own
just to please a person who's taken up ideals that I really despise?"

"No, dear; of course people can't give up their ideals; but I don't see
what this has to do with dear little Lucy and--"

"I didn't say it had anything to do with them," he interrupted. "I was
merely putting a case to show how a person would be justified in being
a friend of one member of a family, and feeling anything but friendly
toward another. I don't say, though, that I feel unfriendly to Mr.
Morgan. I don't say that I feel friendly to him, and I don't say that
I feel unfriendly; but if you really think that I was rude to him
to-night--"

"Just thoughtless, dear. You didn't see that what you said to-night--"

"Well, I'll not say anything of that sort again where he can hear it.
There, isn't that enough?"

This question, delivered with large indulgence, met with no response;
for Isabel, still searching his face with her troubled and perplexed
gaze, seemed not to have heard it. On that account, George repeated it,
and rising, went to her and patted her reassuringly upon the shoulder.
"There, old lady, you needn't fear my tactlessness will worry you again.
I can't quite promise to like people I don't care about one way or
another, but you can be sure I'll be careful, after this, not to let
them see it. It's all right, and you'd better toddle along to bed,
because I want to undress."

"But, George," she said earnestly, "you would like him, if you'd just
let yourself. You say you don't dislike him. Why don't you like him? I
can't understand at all. What is it that you don't--"

"There, there!" he said. "It's all right, and you toddle along."

"But, George, dear--"

"Now, now! I really do want to get into bed. Good-night, old lady."

"Good-night, dear. But--"

"Let's not talk of it any mo