her mind a
hope that she might no more be called upon to exercise her gift in the
direction of faith-healing, and that she might thus without the
necessity of a formal decision creep out of responsibility and painful
notoriety in a matter concerning which she could not always feel
absolutely sure of her ground. To this shrinking the revolt of her taste
against such getters-on as Miss Bowyer had contributed, for her mind was
after all that of a young woman, and in a young woman's mind taste is
likely to go for more than logic. To Philip's words about Mrs. Maginnis
she only replied:

"Curious woman, isn't she?"

"Yes," interposed Mrs. Gouverneur, desirous of turning the talk away
from what she saw was a disagreeable subject to Phillida--"yes; and I
don't see the use of taking such people into society in such a hurry,
merely because they _are_ exceedingly rich."

"Mrs. Maginnis is respectable enough," said Philip, "and interesting,"
he added with a laugh; "and I thought her the most brilliant of the
party at Mrs. Benthuysen's, taking her diamond necklace into the
account."

"Yes; no doubt she's entirely respectable," said Mrs. Gouverneur. "So
are ten thousand other people whom one doesn't care to meet in society.
It seems to me that New York society is too easy nowadays."

"It's not too easy toward the poor; eh, Phillida?"

"That's no great deprivation to the poor," said Phillida. "They could
not indulge in fashionable amusements anyhow, and some of the most
sensible among them believe that the families of fairly prosperous
workingmen are happier and more content than the rich."

"Certainly people in the social world are not examples of peace of
mind," said Philip. "For me, now, I would have sworn last week that I
should be as perfectly happy as a phoebe-bird on a chimneytop if I could
only get a John Smith of 1624, which I've been trying for so long. But I
got it yesterday, and now I'm just miserable again."

"You want something else?" queried Phillida, laughing.

"Indeed I do. You see the splendid John Smith looks lonesome. It needs a
complete set of De Bry's Voyages to keep it company. But I couldn't find
a complete De Bry for sale probably, and I couldn't afford to buy it if
I should stumble on it. John Smith has eaten up the remainder of my book
allowance for this year and nibbled about two hundred dollars out of
next year."

When dinner was over Philip said:

"Come up-stairs, Phillida, you and mother,