he carpet, straightening
the pictures on the walls, and dubiously poking a small stopped clock on
the mantel.

"How's your arm to-day?" Julia asked, stopping behind her mother's
chair, and laying two firm young hands on her shoulders.

"What do you think of a girl that runs off and doesn't see her mother
for weeks at a time, Doctor?" Mrs. Page demanded a little tartly. "Her
papa and I was devoted to her, too! But I suppose if she marries, she'll
be too grand for us altogether!"

"Now, Mother!" said Julia pleadingly, half vexed, half indulgent.

"I had an elegant little place myself when I was first married," Mrs.
Page continued, in a sort of discontented sing-song. "Julia must have
told you about her papa--"

Julia's serious eyes flashed a look to Jim, and he saw something almost
like humour in their blue deeps.

"That's a crayon enlargement of my youngest son," the old woman was
presently saying, "Chess. A better boy never lived, but he got in with
bad companions and they got him in jail. Yes, indeed they did! On'y the
governor let him out again--"

The call was not long. Doctor Studdiford shook hands with both the
ladies, in departing, and Julia kissed her mother and grandmother
dutifully. The two walked almost in silence to the car.

"Downtown?" asked Julia, in surprise.

"Downtown, for tea," Jim said. And when they were comfortably
established in a secluded corner of the Golden Pheasant, he expelled a
long breath from his lungs, and sent Julia his sunniest smile as he
said:

"Well, you're a wonder!"

"I?" Julia touched her heart with her fingers, and raised her eyebrows.

"Oh, yes, you are!" Jim repeated. "You're a little wonder! To make
yourself so sweet and fine and dear, it shows that you're one of the big
people of the world, Julie! Some one of the writers, Emerson I guess it
was, says that when you find a young person who is willing to accept the
wisdom of older people, and abide by it, why, you may watch that young
person for great things. And you see, I propose to!"

Julia had no answering smile ready. Instead her face was very grave as
she said musingly:

"I hardly know why I wanted you to meet my mother and grandmother, Jim.
I don't know quite what I expected when you _did_ meet them, but--but you
mustn't make light of the fact that they _are_ different from your people,
and different from me, too. For three or four days and nights now I've
been thinking about--us. I've been wondering whet