gue belief that the affair would
end in a sort of a good comradeship.

"Thank you," Ben laid his hand on the elder's shoulder. "You are a dear
good brother, Joe. Don't you suppose you will ever marry? No one will be
quite good enough for you. You're a splendid fellow."

Joe went back to his book; but it had lost interest. Well--it was rather
queer. He had been made very welcome in several houses; and Margaret had
given delicate little suggestions. But he had never cared for any one.
He would be nine and twenty on his next birthday,--quite a bachelor.

It was somewhat curious; but Ben, who had never cared for fixing up,
though he was always clean, suddenly developed a new care for his cuffs
and collars, and indulged in light-coloured neckties, and gloves that he
could no longer "run and jump in," as Jim had accused him of doing. He
went out Sunday evening to tea, which was a new thing, though he often
stayed at the Whitneys' through the week. There was a certain air of
being of supreme consequence to some one; Mrs. Underhill rather resented
it.

Jim was very gay this winter. A good-looking young collegian who was
bright and full of fun, and could sing college glees in a fine tenor
voice, tell a capital story, and dance well, was not likely to go
begging.

One evening he stumbled over his old friend Lily Ludlow, whom he had not
seen for two years,--a tall, stylish girl, handsome in the ordinary
acceptation of the word, but lacking some of the finer qualities, if you
studied her closely. There had been some great changes in her life. Her
father had died suddenly, leaving but small provision for them. Chris
had her hands full trying to live pretentiously on a rather small
income.

They had found an elderly aunt of Mr. Ludlow's who, in her day, had been
quite a society woman. She had an old-fashioned but well furnished house
in Amity Street, and had not given up all her acquaintances. The house
was to go to her husband's family when she was done with it, there being
no children; and her income ended with her life, so there was nothing to
expect from her.

"But I do want a housekeeper and a nurse, sometimes," she said to
Mrs. Ludlow. "If you like to fill the place, you will have a good home
and good wages. And Lily's fine looks ought to get her a husband."

Amity Street still had a rather select air, if its fashion was falling
off a little. The house was old, but not out of date, and quite
imposing; and the big door