leep well at all, for during the night the old
gentleman got down out of his frame, and sat on the side of my bed, and
told me a lot of things about that college which nobody else ever knew,
I am sure."

"And I suppose you mixed up all that information with what the college
people gave you," she said.

"That may be the case," answered Lodloe, laughing, "for some of the old
gentleman's points were very interesting and made a deep impression upon
me."

"Well," said Mrs. Cristie, speaking very emphatically, "when I had
finished reading that article I very much wished to meet the person who
had written it, so that I might tell him what I thought of it; but of
course I had no idea that the founder had anything to do with its
inaccuracies."

"Madam," said Lodloe, "if it had not been for the mistakes in it you
never would have thought of the man who wrote the paper, but you did
think of him, and wanted to meet him. Now it seems to me that we have
been quite properly introduced to each other, and it was old Matthew
Vassar who did it. I am sure I am very much obliged to him."

Mrs. Cristie laughed. "I don't know what the social authorities would
say to such an introduction," she answered, "but as baby is asleep I
shall take him into the saloon."

IV

LODLOE UNDERTAKES TO NOMINATE HIS SUCCESSOR

It was late in the afternoon when the Romney passengers were landed, and
Mrs. Cristie and Lodloe, with a few other persons, repaired to the
village hotel.

"There is a sort of stage-wagon," said the lady, "which takes people
from this house to the Squirrel Inn, and it starts when the driver is
ready; but before I leave Romney I must try to find some one who will go
with me as nurse-maid."

"Madam," said Lodloe, "don't think of it. I have made inquiries of the
landlord, and he says the roads are rough, and that it will take more
than an hour to reach the Squirrel Inn, so that if you do not start now
I fear you and the baby will not get there before dark. I prefer to stay
here to-night, and it will be no trouble at all for me to look up a
suitable person for you, and to take her with me to-morrow. It will be a
good plan to take four or five of them, and when you have selected the
one you like best the others can come back here in the wagon. It will be
a lark for them."

Mrs. Cristie drew a long breath. "Truly," she said, "your proposition is
phenomenal. Half a dozen nurse-maids in a wagon, from whom I am to pick
and