her he struggled against disappointment, it was for her he hoped,
it was only the desperate strength of his love for her that made
disappointment so terribly bitter to him. Certainly his love made him
better and sweeter-tempered and more energetic than he would have been
if his life had not been so full of it. His one ambition was to gain
success to lay at her feet. To him success meant Dolly, and Dolly meant
Paradise, an honest Paradise, in which primeval bliss reigned supreme
and trial was unknown. Consequently the bright little scissors glanced
before his eyes a sort of loadstar.

"I did n't tell you that nephew of Old Flynn's had come back, did I?"
he said, at length.

"No," answered Dolly, snipping diligently. "You never mentioned him.
What nephew, and where did he come from?"

"A fellow of the name of Gowan, who has been travelling in the East for
no particular reason for the last ten years. He called on Flynn, at the
office, today, for the first time; and if I had been called upon to
kick him out, I should have regarded it as a cheerful and improving
recreation."

"Why?" laughed Dolly. "Is he one of the Philistines?"

"Philistine!" echoed Griffith, with disgust. "I should think so. A
complacent idiot in a chronic state of fatigue.. Drove up to the door
in a cab,--his own, by the way, and a confoundedly handsome affair it
is,--gave the reins to his tiger, and stared at the building tranquilly
for at least two minutes before he came in, stared at Old Flynn when he
_did_ come in, stared at me, shook hands with Old Flynn exhaustedly, and
then subsided into listening and paring his nails during the remainder
of the interview."

"Which might or might not be discreet under the circumstances," said
Dolly. "Perhaps he had nothing to say. Never mind, Grif. Let us console
ourselves with the thought that we are not as these utterly worthless
explorers of the East are," with a flourish of the scissors.

"Better is a dinner of herbs in Vagabondia, with a garnish of
conversation and _bon-mots_, than a stalled ox among the Philistines
with dulness."

But about an hour after Griffith had taken his departure, as she was
bending over the table, industriously clipping at the merino, a thought
suddenly crossed her mind, which made her drop her scissors and look up
meditatively.

"By the way," she began, all at once. "Yes, it must be! How was it I
did not think of it when Grif was talking? I am sure, it was Gowan, Lady
Aug