claimed Miss De Voe, contemptuously.

"Yes."

"How ridiculous," said Miss De Voe. "Lispenard's always trying to hit
things off in epigrams, and sometimes he's very foolish." Then she
turned to Miss Leroy. "It was very nice, your knowing Mr. Stirling."

"I only met him that once. But he's the kind of man somehow that you
remember. It's curious I've never heard of him since then."

"You know he's the man who made that splendid speech when the poor
children were poisoned summer before last."

"I can't believe it!"

"It's so. That is the way I came to know him."

Miss Leroy laughed. "And Helen said he was a man who needed help in
talking!"

"Was Mrs. D'Alloi a great friend of his?"

"No. She told me that Watts had brought him to see them only once. I
don't think Mr. Pierce liked him."

"He evidently was very much hurt at Watts's not writing him."

"Yes. I was really sorry I spoke, when I saw how he took it."

"Watts is a nice boy, but he always was thoughtless."

In passing out of the dining-room, Dorothy had spoken to a man for a
moment, and he at once joined Peter.

"You know my sister, Miss Ogden, who's the best representative of us,"
he said. "Now I'll show you the worst. I don't know whether she
exploited her brother Ogden to you?"

"Yes. She talked about you and your brother this evening."

"Trust her to stand by her family. There's more loyalty in her than
there was in the army of the Potomac. My cousin Lispenard says it's
wrecking his nervous system to live up to the reputation she makes for
him."

"I never had a sister, but it must be rather a good thing to live up
to."

"Yes. And to live with. Especially other fellows' sisters."

"Are you ready to part with yours for that purpose?"

"No. That's asking too much. By the way, I think we are in the same
work. I'm in the office of Jarvis, Redburn and Saltus."

"I'm trying it by myself."

"You've been very lucky."

"Yes. I've succeeded much better than I hoped for. But I've had very few
clients."

"Fortunately it doesn't take many. Two or three rich steady clients will
keep a fellow running. I know a man who's only got one, but he runs him
for all he's worth, and gets a pretty good living out of him."

"My clients haven't been of that sort." Peter smiled a little at the
thought of making a steady living out of the Blacketts, Dooleys or
Milligans.

"It's all a matter of friends."

Peter had a different theory, but he did not say so. Ju