to other problems. Sometimes
she had said to herself that his happy temper, his eternal gayety, was
an affectation, a pose; but she was vaguely conscious that during the
present summer he had been a highly successful comedian. They had never
yet had an explanation; she had not known the need of one. Felix was
presumably following the bent of his disinterested genius, and she felt
that she had no advice to give him that he would understand. With this,
there was always a certain element of comfort about Felix--the assurance
that he would not interfere. He was very delicate, this pure-minded
Felix; in effect, he was her brother, and Madame Munster felt that there
was a great propriety, every way, in that. It is true that Felix was
delicate; he was not fond of explanations with his sister; this was one
of the very few things in the world about which he was uncomfortable.
But now he was not thinking of anything uncomfortable.

"Dear brother," said Eugenia at last, "do stop making les yeux doux at
the rain."

"With pleasure. I will make them at you!" answered Felix.

"How much longer," asked Eugenia, in a moment, "do you propose to remain
in this lovely spot?"

Felix stared. "Do you want to go away--already?"

"'Already' is delicious. I am not so happy as you."

Felix dropped into a chair, looking at the fire. "The fact is I am
happy," he said in his light, clear tone.

"And do you propose to spend your life in making love to Gertrude
Wentworth?"

"Yes!" said Felix, smiling sidewise at his sister.

The Baroness returned his glance, much more gravely; and then, "Do you
like her?" she asked.

"Don't you?" Felix demanded.

The Baroness was silent a moment. "I will answer you in the words of the
gentleman who was asked if he liked music: 'Je ne la crains pas!'"

"She admires you immensely," said Felix.

"I don't care for that. Other women should not admire one."

"They should dislike you?"

Again Madame Munster hesitated. "They should hate me! It 's a measure of
the time I have been losing here that they don't."

"No time is lost in which one has been happy!" said Felix, with a bright
sententiousness which may well have been a little irritating.

"And in which," rejoined his sister, with a harsher laugh, "one has
secured the affections of a young lady with a fortune!"

Felix explained, very candidly and seriously. "I have secured Gertrude's
affection, but I am by no means sure that I have secured her fortun