ng her exactly as she wants to be treated."

"But every one wants to be treated as an equal, if they're any good."
Farron smiled, showing those blue-white teeth for an instant, and Wayne,
feeling he was not quite doing himself justice, added, "I call that just
ordinary respect, you know, and I could not love any one I didn't
respect. Could you?"

The question was, or Farron chose to consider it, a purely rhetorical
one.

"I suppose," he observed, "that they are to be counted the most fortunate
who love and respect at the same time."

"Of course," said Wayne.

Farron nodded.

"And yet perhaps they miss a good deal."

"I don't know _what_ they miss," answered Wayne, to whom the sentiment
was as shocking as anything not understood can be.

"No; I'm sure you don't," answered his future stepfather-in-law. "Go on
with your story."

Wayne went on, but not as rapidly as he had expected. Farron kept him a
long time on the interview of the afternoon before, and particularly on
Mrs. Farron's part, just the point Wayne did not want to discuss for fear
of betraying the bitterness he felt toward her. But again and again
Farron made him quote her words wherever he could remember them; and
then, as if this had not been clear enough, he asked:

"You think my wife has definitely made up her mind against the marriage?"

"Irrevocably."

"Irrevocably?" Farron questioned more as if it were the sound of the word
than the meaning that he was doubting.

"Ah, you've been rather out of it lately, sir," said Wayne. "You haven't
followed, perhaps, all that's been going on."

"Perhaps not."

Wayne felt he must be candid.

"If it is your idea that your wife's opposition could be changed, I'm
afraid I must tell you, Mr. Farron--" He paused, meeting a quick, sudden
look; then Farron turned his head, and stared, with folded arms, out of
the window. Wayne had plenty of time to wonder what he was going to say.
What he did say was surprising.

"I think you are an honest man, and I should be glad to have you working
for me. I could make you one of my secretaries, with a salary of six
thousand dollars."

In the shock Pete heard himself saying the first thing that came
into his head:

"That's a large salary, sir."

"Some people would say large enough to marry on."

Wayne drew back.

"Don't you think you ought to consult Mrs. Farron before you offer it to
me?" he asked hesitatingly.

"Don't carry honesty too far. No, I don't con