therefore I asked if you had not begun to grow weary of this
democracy, the Press Club."

McGlenn smiled, and his smile had two meanings, one for his friends
and another for his enemies. His friends saw a thoughtful countenance
illumined by an intellectual light; his enemies recognized a sarcasm
that had escaped from a sly and revengeful spirit. But Henry was his
friend.

"John," said Richmond, "you think"--

McGlenn turned out his thumb and began to motion with his fist. "I
won't submit to the narrow dictum of a man who presumes to tell me
what I think."

"But if nobody were to tell you, how would you find out what you
think? Oh," he added, "I admit that it was presumption on my part. I
was presuming that you think."

"I do think, and if some one must tell me _what_ I think, let him be a
thinking man."

"John, you cry out for thought, and are the first to strike at it
with your dogmatism. You don't think--you dogmatize."

McGlenn turned to Henry. "I had two delightful days last week. John
Richmond was out of town."

"Yes," said Richmond, putting his feet on a chair. "Falsehood gallops
in riotous pleasure when Truth is absent. Hold on! I can stand one
wrinkle between your eyes, but I am afraid of two."

"A man of many accomplishments, but wholly lacking in humor," said
McGlenn, seeming to study Richmond for the purpose of placing an
appraisement on him. "A man who worships Ouida and decries Sir Richard
Steele."

"No, I don't worship Ouida, but I read her sometimes because she is
interesting. As for Steele, he is decried by your praise. Say, John,
you advised me to change grocers every month, and I don't know but it
would be a good plan. An old fellow that I have been trading with has
sent me a bill for eighty-three dollars."

"John, he probably takes you for a great man and wants to compliment
you."

"I don't object to a compliment, but that was flattery," Richmond,
replied, taking his feet off one chair and putting them on another.
"Let's ride home, John; it's 'most too slippery to walk."

"All right. You have ruined my health already by making me walk with
you. Come on; we'll go now."

CHAPTER XVII.

AN OLD MAN WOULD INVEST.

When Henry went home to dinner he found, already seated at the table,
old man Colton, Mrs. Colton and Mrs. Brooks. The old Marylander got
away from his soup, got off his chair, and greeted Henry with an
effusive display of what might have been his pleasure at seei