from Miss Mayberry, and I am the sort of person she ought to
associate with, especially in her vacation; and in the second place, it
keeps old Tippengray away from Calthea Rose. That is bad, very bad. Mrs.
Petter tells me that before Miss Mayberry arrived Calthea and the Greek
were as chummy and as happy together as any two people could be. It is
easy to see that Calthea is dead in love with him, and if she had been
let alone I am confident she would have married him before the summer
was over."

"And you think that desirable?" asked Lodloe.

"Of course I do," cried Lanigan, sitting up straight in his chair and
speaking earnestly; "it would be the best thing in the world. Calthea
has had a hard time with her various engagements,--all of them with
me,--and now that she has found the man she likes she ought to have him.
It would be a splendid match; he might travel where he pleased, and
Calthea would be an honor to him. She could hold her own with the
nobility and gentry, and the crowned heads, for that matter. By George!
it would make him two inches taller to walk through a swell crowd with
Calthea on his arm, dressed as she would dress, and carrying her head as
she would carry it."

"You seem to be a matchmaker," said Lodloe; "but I don't meddle in that
sort of thing. I greatly prefer to let people take care of their own
affairs; but I feel bound to say to you that after Ida Mayberry
neglected her duty to go off with you, I determined to advise Mrs.
Cristie to dispense with the services of such a very untrustworthy
nurse-maid."

Lanigan Beam sprang to his feet. "Don't you do that!" he cried. "I beg
of you not to do that."

"Why not?" said Lodloe. "That would aid your philanthropic plan in
regard to Miss Rose and Mr. Tippengray. The maid away, there is no
reason why they should not come together again."

"Now I am a straightforward, honest man," said Lanigan, "and I tell you
plainly that that would be very hard on me. I've come here to my native
place to settle down, and if I settle I've got to marry, and I have
never seen a girl whom I would rather marry and settle with than Miss
Mayberry. She may be a little slack about taking care of the baby, but
I'll talk to her about that, and I know she will keep a closer eye on
him. Now if you want to see everybody happy, don't prejudice Mrs.
Cristie against that girl. Give me a chance, and I'll win her into the
right way, and I'll do it easily and naturally, without makin