stimated his profits) had decided that
Henry was out of the running, and that Mirabelle had a walkover. The
guess itself was wrong, but the deduction from it was correct; and
Henry was convulsed to think that Mr. Mix had shown his hand so early.
And instead of gritting his teeth, and damning Mr. Mix for a
conscienceless scoundrel, Henry put back his head and laughed until
the tears came.

He hurried to show the paragraph to Anna, but Anna wouldn't even
smile. She was a woman, and therefore she compressed her lips,
sorrowfully, and said: "Oh--_poor_ Miss Starkweather!" To which Henry
responded with a much more vigorous compression of his own lips, and
the apt correction: "Oh, no--poor Mr. Mix!"

He carried his congratulations to his aunt in person; she received
them characteristically. "Humph!... Pretty flowery language.... Well,
you don't need to send me any present, Henry; I didn't send _you_
one."

"When's the happy event to be?" he inquired, politely.

"June. Fourth of June."

"And do you know where you're going for your honeymoon?"

"I don't like that word," said Mirabelle. "It sounds mushier than a
corn-starch pudding. And besides, it's nobody's business but his and
mine, and I haven't even told _him_ yet. I'm keeping it for a
surprise."

"Oh!" said Henry. "That's rather a novel idea, isn't it?"

"Humph!" said Mirabelle, dryly. "The whole thing's novel, isn't it?
But I'm obliged for your coming up here, Henry. I didn't suppose you
had enough interest in family matters to be so nosey, even."

Later in the week, Henry encountered Mr. Mix, and repeated his
congratulations with such honeyed emphasis that Mr. Mix began to
stammer. "I appreciate all you say, Henry--but--come here a minute."
He drew Henry into a convenient doorway. "I'm sort of afraid, from the
way you act, there's something in the back of your mind. I've thought,
sometimes, you must have lost sight of the big, broad principles
behind the work I'm doing. I've been afraid you've taken my work as if
it was directed personally against _you_. Not that I've ever heard you
_say_ anything like that, but your manner's been ... well, anyway,
you're too big a man for that, Henry. Now about this new scheme of
yours. It's my feeling that you're dodging the law by sliding in the
back door. It's my official duty to look into it. Only if we _do_ have
to put a stop to it, I want you to realize that I sympathize with any
personal loss you may have to suffer. P