the tones of her voice, the grace of her slim, strong hands.
He wanted to impress himself upon her; he wanted her to like him.

"News? I don't know that I can give you any news. You probably know that
Mrs. Owen went to Fraserville for Christmas with the Bassetts? Let me
see, you do know the Bassetts, don't you?"

"Yes. I was at Waupegan three summers ago at Mrs. Owen's, and Mrs.
Bassett and all of them were very good to me."

"You probably don't know that I'm employed by Mr. Bassett. He has an
office in Indianapolis where I'm trying to be a lawyer and I do small
jobs for him. I'm doing an errand for him now. It will be the first time
I've been east of the mountains since I left college, and I'm going to
stop at New Haven on my way home to see how they're getting on without
me. By the way, you probably know that Marian is going to college?"

"No; I didn't know it," exclaimed Sylvia. "But I knew her mother was
interested and I gave her a Wellesley catalogue. That was a long time
ago!"

"That was when you were visiting Mrs. Owen at Waupegan? I see, said the
blind man!"

"What do you see?" asked Sylvia.

"I see Mrs. Bassett and Marian, niece and grandniece respectively, of
Aunt Sally Owen; and as I gaze, a stranger bound for college suddenly
appears on Mrs. Owen's veranda, in cap and gown. Tableau!"

"I don't see the picture," Sylvia replied, though she laughed in spite
of herself.

"I not only see," Dan continued, "but I hear the jingle of red, red
gold, off stage."

This was going a trifle too far. Sylvia shook her head and frowned.

"That isn't fair, Mr. Harwood, if I guess what you mean. There's no
reason why Marian shouldn't go to college. My going has nothing to do
with it. You have misunderstood the whole matter."

"Pardon me," said Dan quickly. "I mean no unkindness to any of them.
They are all very good to me. It's too bad, though, that Marian's
preparation for college hadn't been in mind until so recently. It would
save her a lot of hard digging now. I see a good deal of the family; and
I'm even aware of Marian's doings at Miss Waring's school. Master
Blackford beguiles me into taking him to football games, and I often go
with all of them to the theatre when they're in town. Mr. Bassett is
very busy, and he doesn't often indulge himself in pleasures. He's the
kind of man whose great joy is in work--and he has many things to look
after."

"You are a kind of private secretary to the whole family, th