"Why, Henry," he quavered, "you must have an opinion?"

"No," Mr. Dale answered thoughtfully, "I cannot say that I have. Now, I
put it to you, Denner: how could I decide on the relative merits of Miss
Ruth and Miss Deborah, seeing that I have no affection, only respect, for
either of them? Affection! that ought to be your guide. Which do you have
most affection for?"

"Why, really"--said Mr. Denner, "really"--and he stopped to think,
looking hard at the seal ring on his left hand--"I am afraid it is just
the same, if you call it affection. You see that doesn't help us."

He had identified Mr. Dale's interest with his own anxiety, and looked
wistfully at the older man, who seemed sunk in thought and quite
forgetful of his presence. Mr. Denner put one hand to his lips and gave
a little cough. Then he said:--

"One would think there would be a rule about such things, some
acknowledged method; a proverb, for instance; it would simplify matters
very much."

"True," said Mr. Dale.

"Yes," Mr. Denner added, "you would think in such a general thing as
marriage there would be. Complications like this must constantly arise.
What if Miss Deborah and Miss Ruth had another sister? Just see how
confused a man might be. Yes, one would suppose the wisdom of experience
would take the form of an axiom. But it hasn't."

He sighed deeply, and rose, for it was late, and the little fire had
burned out.

Mr. Dale bent forward, with his elbows on his lean knees, and gently
knocked the ashes from his silver pipe. Then he got up, and, standing
with his back to the cold grate, and the tails of his flowered
dressing-gown under each arm in a comfortable way, he looked at the
lawyer, with his head a little on one side, as though he were about to
speak. Mr. Denner noticed it.

"Ah, you cannot make any suggestion, Henry?"

"Well," said Mr. Dale, "it seems to me I had a thought--a sort of a
proverb, you might say--but it slips my memory."

Mr. Denner, with his overcoat half on, stood quite still, and trembled.

"It is something about how to make up your mind," Mr. Dale continued,
very slowly; "let me see."

"How to make up your mind?" cried Mr. Denner. "That's just the thing!
I'm sure, that's just the thing! And we cannot but have the greatest
confidence in proverbs. They are so eminently trustworthy. They are the
concentrated wisdom--of--of the ages, as it were. Yes, I should be quite
willing to decide the matter by a proverb."

He