olness, so to say. Mr. Barker
never seemed to be warm, but he never seemed to feel cold either, and at
this moment, as he sat in a half-lighted room, clad in a variety of
delicate gray tints, with a collar that looked like fresh-baked biscuit
ware, and a pile of New York papers and letters beside him, he was
refreshing to the eye.

"Upon my word, Barker, you always look cool," said the Duke, as he sat
himself down in an arm-chair, and passed his handkerchief round his
wrists. "I would like to know how you do it."

"To begin with, I do not rush madly about in the sun in the middle of
the day. That may have something to do with it."

The Duke sneezed loudly, from the mingled dust and sunshine he had been
inhaling.

"And then I don't come into a cold room and catch cold, like you. Here I
sit in seclusion and fan myself with the pages of my newspapers as I
turn them over."

"You have got us all into the deuce of a mess with your confounded
coolness," said the Duke after a pause, during which he had in vain
searched all his pockets for his cigar-case. Barker had watched him, and
pushed an open box of Havanas across the table. But the Duke was
determined to be sulky, and took no notice of the attention. The
circular wrinkle slowly furrowed its way round Barker's mouth, and his
under jaw pushed forward. It always amused him to see sanguine people
angry. They looked so uncomfortable, and "gave themselves away" so
recklessly.

"If you won't smoke, have some beer," he suggested. But his Grace fumed
the redder.

"I don't understand how a man of your intelligence, Barker, can go and
put people into such awkward positions," he said. "I think it is
perfectly idiotic."

"Write me down an ass, by all means," said Barker calmly; "but please
explain what you mean. I told you not to buy in the Green Swash Mine,
and now I suppose you have gone and done it, because I said it might
possibly be active some day."

"I have been to see the Countess this morning," said the Duke, beating
the dust from his thick walking-boot with his cane.

"Ah!" said Barker, without any show of interest. "Was she at home?"

"I should think so," said the Duke. "Very much at home, and Dr. Claudius
was there too."

"Oh! so you are jealous of Claudius, are you?" The ducal wrath rose.

"Barker, you are insufferably ridiculous."

"Duke, you had much better go to bed," returned his friend.

"Look here, Barker--"

"Do not waste your vitality in that