omeone around here?"

"Of course, every man may be mistaken at times."

"Well, take my word for it, you're badly mistaken this time."

"Oh!" said her father, with assumed astonishment. "Am I? Then what is
all this about?"

"And even if they were," continued Susie, a little unsteadily, "they do
it differently from the American way."

"How do they do it, for heaven's sake?"

"Why, dad, how should I know?"

"You seem to have considerable information on the subject."

"I have enough information to know," retorted Sue, with some heat,
"that in Europe, a young man calls upon the head of the family, and not
upon any of its younger female members."

"I have always understood that Europe was behind the times," observed
her father, "but I never suspected it was as bad as that. However, I
take your word for it--I always do, you know. I suppose you and Nell
will have to stay in your rooms."

"Oh, no," said Sue, "we may be present, so long as our chaperon is
there."

"So I'm to do some chaperoning at last, am I?" queried her father. "The
job has ceased to be a sinecure. I suppose I'll have to do all the
talking, since young girls, of course, may only speak when spoken to and
then must answer with a yes or no. Really, my dear, you're setting
yourself an exceedingly difficult part!"

"Where did you learn so much about it, dad?"

"I'm reasoning by deduction--all this follows from what you've already
told me. Well, I'll do my best to entertain this Dutchman. What does he
talk about? Wiener-wurst and sauerkraut?"

"Oh, no," said Susie, with a reminiscent smile and a heightened colour;
"he talks about things much more interesting than those."

And, indeed, the first moments past, Rushford found the Prince an
entertaining fellow, with a fund of anecdote and experience decidedly
unusual. But conversations of this sort are rarely worth recording; the
less so in this instance, since the Prince had taken care to seat
himself where he had a good view of the enchanting Susie, and that
vision more than once caused his thoughts to wander. Still, they
discussed America and Europe, art, nature, the universe--none of which
has anything to do with this story--everything, in short, except the
warm, palpitating human heart, with which we are principally
concerned--and it was very late before the Prince finally arose to go.

Sue whispered her thanks as she kissed her father good-night.

"Good old daddy!" she said, and patted him on t