lease--there's a dear."

We were near the house now, and she darted away from me. "If you tells
me no questions, I asks you no lies," she sang gaily as she ran in. O
shades of Juliet and Cleopatra, what a woman that is--or what an idiot I
am: I can't be sure which till I get an outside opinion. I'd give odds
that within a fortnight Hartman will be far gone. It will be life or
death for him, poor old man. But he's nigh dead now, inwardly speaking,
and so has not much to lose. Anyway, he'll see that a world with Clarice
in it is not as blank and chilly as he thinks it now--not by several
thousand degrees. I fancy his thermometer will begin to go up pretty
soon. He needs shaking up and turning inside out and upside down--a
general ventilating, in fact, and I rather think Miss Elliston will
administer it to him.

VI.

PREPARATION.

I was mighty glad that Clarice felt this way about Hartman's coming; she
has not waked up so, or come down from her Olympian clouds of
indifference, in a long time. But still I thought it best to go around
and make some more preparations. When I have a secret to carry, it
oppresses my frank and open nature more than you would think; and I find
that I can conceal it best by inquiring concerning the matter of it of
persons who know nothing about it. Naturally I began with the head of
the house. That is myself, I suppose, nominally; but every decent man
allows his wife to fill the position, and get what comfort she can out
of it.

"Mabel," I said, "I hope that Hartman will enjoy himself here."

"You told us he was not given to enjoying himself; on the contrary,
quite the reverse. No doubt he will take us as he finds us. He will
hardly want to go out to dinner every day, and meet the Vanderdeck's and
the foreign princess."

"But, Mabel, I trust you are all prepared to meet him in the right
spirit."

"What absurd questions you ask, Robert. You talk as if he were a bishop,
come to convert us: I thought we were to convert him. I hope I do not
need to be instructed how to receive my husband's friends. And Jane is
ready to take an interest in him: she can be very nice, you know."

"And Clarice: will she do her part?"

"Nobody knows what Clarice will do on any occasion. She would be more
apt to do what you wish if you would not trouble her about Mr. Hartman.
We are not three little maids from school, to be taught our manners. Why
can you not learn that matters would move just as well,