h, however
cynics may sneer.

He did not glance at her, feeling her eyes on him. When he judged it was
time he looked up suddenly, rose to his feet, and, in a diffident,
apologetic voice, observed:

"Forgive me, dear! What did you say?"

What could she say? She therefore said it:

"Nothing!" very softly.

"I was very far from New York--and yet you were with me, my love!"

She thought of Philadelphia and her hand sought his with that
refuge-seeking instinct which cannot be statuted away from them.

He met her half-way. He raised her hands to his lips and his disengaged
left sought his waistcoat pocket where the ring was.

"She is in the drawing-room, sir, with Mr. Rutgers," came in faithful
Frederick's warning voice, raised above the menial's pitch.

"What!" they heard Mr. Goodchild ejaculate. Then the titular owner of
the house entered.

H. R. politely bowed.

"How do you do?" he said, easily. "You are a trifle inopportune. Grace
and I were talking over our plans."

Mr. Goodchild turned purple and advanced. Grace rose hastily. H. R.
meditatively doubled up his right arm, moved his clenched fist up and
down, felt his biceps with his left hand, and smiled contentedly.

Mr. Goodchild remembered his manners and his years at one and the same
time. With his second calm thought he remembered the reporters. He
gulped twice and when he spoke it was only a trifle huskily:

"Mr. Rutgers, I have no desire to make a scene in my own house."

H. R. pleasantly pointed to a fauteuil.

"I must ask you--"

"Sit down and we'll talk it over quietly. You will find," H. R. assured
him, earnestly, "that I am not unreasonable. Have a seat."

Mr. Goodchild sat down.

H. R. turned to Grace and with one lightning wink managed to convey that
everybody obeyed him--excepting one, whose wish was a Federal statute to
him.

She looked with a new interest at her father. It was, she realized, the
eternal conflict between youth and age. Love the prize! _Gratia
victrix!_

"I--I--am willing to admit"--Mr. Goodchild nearly choked as the unusual
words came from his larynx--"that you have shown--er--great cleverness
in your--er--career. But I must say to you--in a kindly way, Mr.
Rutgers, in a kindly way, believe me!--that I do not care to have
this--er--farce prolonged. If you are after--if there is any reasonable
financial consideration that will--er--induce you to desist--I--you--"

"You have relapsed," interrupted H. R., amiably