o add. "Do they include
any first cousins of this little man?"

"Two--of his own age--and any number of older ones. I'll take you up to
the playroom some afternoon next week and show you the babies together,
if you're interested, and if Uncle Calvin will let me interrupt his work
for a few minutes."

"Thank you; I'll gladly come to the house for that special purpose, if
you'll let me know when. Judge Gray has decided not to try to work at
all next week; he's giving me a holiday I really don't want."

"Are you so interested in your labours with him?"

Their eyes met. There was something very sweet and womanly in Mrs.
Stephen's face and in the eyes which scanned his, or he would never have
dared to say what he said next.

"Not in the work itself," he confessed frankly, "though I don't find it
as hard as I did at first. But--the association with Judge Gray,
the--well, I suppose it's really having something definite to do with my
time. Above all, just being in this house, though I don't belong to it,
is getting to seem so interesting to me that I'm afraid I shall hardly
know what to do with myself all next week."

She could not doubt the genuineness of his admission, strange as it
sounded. So the young aristocrat was really dreading a week's vacation,
he who had done nothing but idle away his time. She felt a touch of pity
for him; yet how absurd it was!

"I wish you could meet some of the people who will be here next week,"
she said. "I wonder if you would care to?"

"If they're anything like those of the Gray family, I already know I
should care immensely." He spoke with enthusiasm.

"I think some of them are the most interesting people I have ever met.
My husband's Uncle Rufus, Judge Gray's brother--why, you must meet Uncle
Rufus. I'll speak to Mrs. Robert Gray about it. I'm sure if she thought
you cared she'd be delighted to have you know him. Then there's the
Christmas Eve dance. I wonder if you would enjoy that? We don't usually
have many people outside of the family, but there are always some of
Rob's and Louis's special friends asked for the dance, and I'm sure I
can arrange it. I'll mention it to Roberta."

"Must it--er--rest with Miss Roberta? I'm afraid she won't ask me,"
declared Richard anxiously.

"Won't she? Why? She will probably say that she doesn't believe you will
enjoy it, but if I assure her that you want to come I think she will
trust me. She's very exacting as to the qualifications of the