ng out all her store of information about herself in
one reckless flood and thereby wasting half of the entertainment for the
dinner table.

Mrs. Hiram Todd fully justified Elinor's approbation, for in the
incredibly short time since she had left Rockham and gone with the lanky
Hiram to the national capital, she had shed the slightly rustic manner
of her former days and had become, in appearance at least, a
well-dressed, attractive, sensible looking girl such as you may see in
the comfortable homes of the large cities.

But although Patricia was surprised at the change which Marian had
effected in her own manners and garments in the brief fortnight of
married life, her astonishment grew as she gazed on Hiram.

No one, seeing the happy Hiram for the first time, could have believed
that a few short months ago he had been the lank and ungrammatical
individual whose gift of a patent rocker struck consternation to the
members of the House Committee on that fateful donation night at the
Social House when the ninety-nine wooden chairs had been presented by
the guests of the evening. The memory of that trying moment, the picture
of his later efforts in pursuit of grammar under her own tuition, faded
from Patricia's mind as she looked at him. She recalled only the
successful geologist, the man of science whose collection had gained him
recognition in high places, and she held out her hand with cordial
sincerity.

"How splendidly you're looking, Hiram," she said, almost with admiration
in her tone. "City life must agree with you tremendously----"

Bruce's chuckle halted her speech, but Hiram nodded heartily.

"That's about the size of it," he said with one of his grins. "But it
took a smarter one than me--_I_ to get at it. I was in town a lot since
Mr. Hayden got me in touch with the big guns at the capital, and I
didn't turn a hair, as far as clothes was concerned. My, my, what a
dummy I was. But the minute Marian landed in the dining-room of the
hotel, she knew what was what. She's just built me all over on stylish
lines, you see," he ended with simple candor that was very pleasant to
hear. "And the funny part of it is that I don't feel foolish in them,
either. I like this striped white vest a heap better'n the plain ones,
and I'm dinged if I ain't amazing comfortable in this stiff, starchy
dress shirt."

Marian had the good sense to enjoy Hiram's frankness and she smiled on
him affectionately. "We're both glad we came