ion. Diplomacy
is the climax of gentlemanly concealment of one's real feelings, and the
art among arts of courteous insincerity. In business, of course, there's
a reason--"

"Can't a man be sincere in business?" she asked, looking at him with
eyes so deep and straightforward in their expression that he found the
question disconcerting.

"Why,--of course," he stumbled; "but 'sincerity' isn't exactly a
business expression. If I let you know by my manner that I was eager to
buy something which you wanted to sell, or to sell something you wanted
to buy, it would naturally affect the price, wouldn't it?"

"Ought it to?" she persisted. "Why isn't that taking advantage?"

Cosden smiled indulgently. "Some time, if you like, I will give you a
learned discourse on values and what affects them, but anything so
erudite now would take your mind off the gaieties of your sailing
trip."

"Will you?" Merry exclaimed delighted. "Father always makes fun of me
when I ask serious questions. I am sure I should hate business, because
it seems always to be a question of taking advantage of some one else;
but I should like to know something about it."

"You don't approve of taking advantage of some one else?"

"It is exactly the opposite of what we are taught to consider right,
isn't it?"

"How about bargain-sales when you are home?" Cosden asked with apparent
innocence. "Do you ever patronize them?"

"Why, yes," Merry replied frankly; "I frequently wait for them when I
want some particular thing, and my allowance is running low."

Cosden laughed outright. "If consistency were really a jewel, then would
woman go unadorned!"

"How in the world are you going to twist what I said into an
inconsistency?"

"I'll let you make the demonstration yourself. Here is the problem: a
dealer, believing a demand to exist for a certain article, lays in a
stock to supply that demand. If you, and other dear ladies who really
intend to buy the article, purchased when he first offered it for sale,
his estimate of the demand would have been correct. But you all have
learned the habits of the shops, so instead of rushing to his counters
you play 'possum until the dealer really believes that he has
over-estimated the demand, and down goes the value to him and
consequently the price to you. Then you rush frantically from your
lairs and secure the article you have really wanted from the beginning
at a bargain price. Don't you admit that you are taking ad