as what might have been called a family dinner, but there was
such a variety, such an abundance, everything was so admirably cooked,
and the elderberry wine, which was produced in his honor, was so much
more rich and fragrant to his taste than the wines he had had at hotels,
that Mr. Burke was delighted.

Now he felt that in forming an opinion as to Mrs. Cliff's manner of
living he had some grounds to stand upon. "What she wants," thought he,
"is all the solid, sensible comfort her money can give her, and where
she knows what she wants, she gets it; but the trouble seems to be that
in most things she doesn't know what she wants!"

When Mr. Burke that afternoon walked back to the hotel, wrapped in his
fur-trimmed coat and carefully puffing a fine Havana cigar, he had
entirely forgotten his own plans and purposes in life, and was engrossed
in those of Mrs. Cliff.

CHAPTER VII

MR. BURKE ACCEPTS A RESPONSIBILITY

Willy Croup was very much pleased with Mr. Burke, and she was glad that
she had allowed herself to be persuaded to sit at table with such a fine
gentleman.

He treated her with extreme graciousness of manner, and it was quite
plain to her that if he recognized her in her silk gown as the person
who, in a calico dress, had opened the front door for him, he had
determined to make her feel that he had not noticed the coincidence.

He was a good deal younger than she was, but Willy's childlike
disposition had projected itself into her maturer years, and in some
respects there was a greater sympathy, quickly perceived by both,
between her and Mr. Burke than yet existed between him and Mrs. Cliff.
After some of the amusing anecdotes which he told, the visitor looked
first towards Willy to see how she appreciated them; but it must not be
supposed that he was not extremely attentive and deferential to his
hostess.

If Willy had known what a brave, gallant, and daring sailor he was, she
would have made a hero of him; but Mrs. Cliff had never said much about
Burke, and Willy simply admired him as the best specimen of the urbane
man of the world with whom she had yet met.

The two women talked a good deal about their visitor that evening, and
Mrs. Cliff said that she hoped he was not going to leave town very soon,
for it was possible that she might be of help to him if he wanted to
settle down in that part of the country.

The next morning, soon after breakfast, when Willy opened the front gate
of the ya