lace and build
a fine house somewhere in their vicinity, which they thought the only
vicinity in which any one should build a fine house, it might be a very
good thing, and would certainly not depreciate the value of their
property. A wealthy bachelor might indeed be a more desirable neighbor
than a large family.

The Buskirks had been called upon when they came to Plainton a few years
before by several families. Of course, the clergyman, Mr. Perley, and
his wife, paid them a visit, and the two Misses Thorpedyke hired a
carriage and drove to the house, and, although they did not see the
family, they left their cards.

After some time these and other calls were returned, but in the most
ceremonious manner, and there ended the social intercourse between the
fine house on the hill and the town.

As the Buskirks drove to Harrington to church, they did not care about
the Perleys, and although they seemed somewhat inclined to cultivate the
Thorpedykes, who were known to be of such an excellent old family, the
Thorpedykes did not reciprocate the feeling, and, having declined an
invitation to tea, received no more.

But now Mr. Buskirk, who had come up on Saturday to spend Sunday with
his family, actually called on Mr. Burke at the hotel. The wealthy
sailor was not at home, and the city gentleman left his card.

When Mr. Burke showed this card to Mrs. Cliff, her face clouded. "Are
you going to return the visit?" said she.

"Oh yes!" answered Burke. "Some of these days I will drive up and look
in on them. I expect they have got a fancy parlor, and I would like to
sit in it a while and think of the days when I used to swab the deck.
There's nothin' more elevatin', to my mind, than just that sort of
thing. I do it sometime when I am eatin' my meals at the hotel, and the
better I can bring to mind the bad coffee and hard tack, the better I
like what's set before me."

Mrs. Cliff sighed. She wished Mr. Buskirk had kept away from the hotel.

As soon as Mrs. Cliff had consented to the erection of the new
dining-room on the corner lot,--and she did not hesitate after Mr. Burke
had explained to her how easy it would be to do the whole thing almost
without her knowing anything about it, if she did not want to bother
herself in the matter,--the enterprise was begun.

Burke, who was of an active mind, and who delighted in managing and
directing, undertook to arrange everything. There was no agreement
between Mrs. Cliff and himse