ent, if it rests and
entertains him?"

"Imagine some of your Sunday-school boys accepting your invitation to
call on you, and finding you playing a social game with your father;
then imagine them quoting you in support of their game at the billiard
saloon that same evening a little later," Marion said, quickly. "You
see, my little Flossy, we don't live in nutshells or sealed cans; we are
at all times liable to be broken in upon by people whom we may influence
and whom we may harm. I confess I don't want to do anything at home that
will have to be pushed out of sight in haste and confusion because some
one happens to come in. I want to be honest, even in my play."

Over this Flossy looked absolutely aghast. Those boys of hers, they
were getting a strong hold upon her already; she longed to lead them.
Was it possible that by her very amusements she might lead them astray!
Another point was, that Nellis Mitchell could never be invited to join
them in a game. She had invited him often, and she winced at the
thought. Did his sister think she had helped him into temptation?
Following these trains of thought, she was led into another, over which
she thought aloud.

"And suppose any of them should ask me if I ever played cards! I should
have to say yes."

"Precisely," said Marion. "And don't you go to thinking that you can
ever hide behind that foolish little explanation, 'I play simply for
amusement; I think it is wrong to play for money.' It won't do: it takes
logical brains to see the difference, and some even of those _won't_ see
it; but they can readily see that, having plenty of money, of course you
have no temptation to play cards for it, and they see that with them it
is different."

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[Illustration]

CHAPTER XII.

SETTLING QUESTIONS.

"THERE is Bible for that doctrine too."

"Where?" Flossy asked, turning quickly to Marion.

"In this verse: 'If meat maketh my brother to offend, I will eat no meat
while the world stands.' Don't you see you never can know which brother
may be made to offend?"

"And it is even about so useful a thing as food," said Flossy, looking
her amazement; she had never heard that verse before in her life. "About
just that thing; and nothing so really unnecessary to a complete life as
card-playing may be."

"Col. Baker sneers at the inconsistency of people who have nothing to do
with cards, and who play croquet," Eurie said this with cheeks a little
heightene