lently, for no reason at all.

"I beg your pardon, I'm sure," murmured his visitor, vaguely alarmed.
"You can't understand my feelings then. But that's really what I felt
when I saw her. It was a revelation, one of those swift certain
intuitions of the soul, and I--you don't mind my telling you this, do
you, Mr. McRae?"

"Oh, no, not if you don't mind," said Roderick.

"It's so good of you," said poor Afternoon Tea Willie. "You were the
only one I could come to, the only one who seemed to know her. She
boards at Miss Armstrong's, but Miss Annabel--you know Miss Annabel?
No? Well, I wouldn't for worlds say anything against a lady, but Miss
Annabel doesn't seem to like me. I don't blame her, you know, but I
don't like to go there. It--I seem to bother her dreadfully, so I
thought--I knew you wouldn't mind introducing me some time, would you?"

"I really don't know Miss Murray well enough to do that," said Roderick
decidedly. "And I wish you wouldn't say anything about our having met
before. I don't think she remembers me very well. Ask Mr. Brians to
introduce you."

"I did, but he refused."

"Perhaps he was only in fun, try him again--or Mrs. Adam. She teaches
with her."

"Oh my! the very person." Mr. Wilbur sprang up. "Oh, I can't think
why I never thought of her before. I'll call on Madame this afternoon.
I can't thank you enough, Mr. McRae, for the kind suggestion." The
young man hurried out, profusely expressing his gratitude. Afternoon
Tea Willie had absolutely nothing in the world to do, but he was always
in a hurry. Perhaps the reason was that the ladies of the town ordered
him about so. He was the most obliging young man, and being always
available, he was used to the utmost, and was driven like a galley
slave from dawn to dark. As he went down the steps he turned back and
looked up at Roderick rapturously.

"Say!" he whispered. "Did you ever see such eyes? Don't they make you
feel just as if you were going down in an elevator?"

But Roderick turned quickly away, with an unreasonable and very
unbusinesslike desire to kick his first client down the steps. He had
almost closed the door behind him when a loud clear voice from the
street called his name. It was just four o'clock, the hour when all
the young ladies of Algonquin, dressed in their best, walked down to
the post-office for the afternoon mail which came in a half-hour
earlier. This afternoon post-office parade was a social