ouring out the tea.

"What is the matter with you?" said Rendel. "What fault do you find with
the world, and your appearance?"

"I am perturbed about my father," she said, her voice telling of the
very real anxiety that lay behind the words. "I don't think he is as
well as he was yesterday."

"Don't you?" said Rendel, more gravely. "I am very sorry. What is the
matter?"

"I can't think," Rachel answered. "He may have done too much yesterday
afternoon."

"He certainly looked terribly tired," said Rendel.

"Terribly," said Rachel, "but I can't imagine why. He had been so
absolutely quiet all the afternoon."

"Well, you take care of him to-day," said Rendel, unable to eliminate
the cheerful confidence from his voice.

"I shall indeed," said Rachel.

"Oh, he'll come all right again, never fear," said Rendel. "You mustn't
take too gloomy a view."

"You certainly seem inclined to take a cheerful one this morning," said
Rachel, half convinced in spite of herself that all was well.

"Well, I do," said Rendel. "I must say that in spite of the prevalent
opinion to the contrary, I feel inclined this morning to say that the
scheme of the universe is entirely right; it is just to my liking. The
sunshine, and my breakfast, and my wife----"

"I am glad I am included," she said.

"And the day to live through. What can a man wish for more?"

"It sounds as though you had everything you could possibly want,
certainly," said Rachel, smiling at him.

"I don't know," said Rendel, reflecting, "if it is that quite. The real
happiness is to want everything you can possibly get. That is the best
thing of all."

"And not so difficult, I should think," said Rachel.

"I am not sure," said Rendel. "I am not sure that it is quite an easy
thing to have an ardent hold on life. Some people keep letting it down
with a flop. But I feel as if I could hold it tight this morning at any
rate. I do not believe there is a creature in the wide world that I
would change places with at this moment," he went on, the force of his
ardent hope and purpose breaking down his usual reserve.

"You are very enthusiastic to-day, Frank," she said.

"Well, one can't do much without enthusiasm," said Rendel, continuing
his breakfast with a satisfied air, "but with it one can move the
world."

"Is that what you are going to do?" said Rachel.

"Yes," said Rendel nodding.

"Frank, I wonder if you will be a great man?"

"Can you doubt it?" said Rende