as fallen from romance's tree. Merely because that flower now
blooms perhaps more quietly, less flamboyantly than it used to bloom in
purple and gold, is no reason to think that it does not bloom at all.
The singers of world songs find voice to-day, just as they always have,
and no lack of all the panoply of old-time chivalry and war can make a
friendship slipping into love less than a beautiful and wondrous thing.
It is perhaps in some ways to be regretted that the inspiring bombast
of the elder days is no longer in vogue--the grandiloquent arrogance
that led a man to tie a lady's ribband to his arm and proclaim on fear
of sudden death her puissance of beauty throughout the world. This is
perhaps unfortunate; but through added reticence beauty really suffers
no wrong.

Smith, although he had not as yet formulated his precise wishes or
intentions as regards Helen, still knew that he desired a house
professionally in order before he allowed himself to think of another
kind of house. The Guardian was his company, and the Guardian must be
placed in a haven where storms could come not, before he would feel
that his charge was sufficiently relaxed to allow of his dreaming
dreams.

It was with this idea that, as the old year was drawing to a close, he
approached Mr. Wintermuth with a definite project in view.

"We are not going to have such a bad year, after all," he began.

"I fancy we shall come through pretty well," the President agreed.
"Although it didn't look much like it at the start."

"No," said Smith; "it didn't. But do you know, sir, that in one way
we're not making as much of a profit as we should?"

"In what way do you mean, Richard?" inquired his chief.

"Not in the underwriting," replied the younger man. "I'm not going to
suggest increasing our lines or opening up any more than we have. But
I don't think it would hurt us if we opened up a little financially."

"How so? In what way?"

"Well, our investments are in high-class securities, but they're not
liquid enough. We've always bought with the intention of holding what
we buy forever. Now, we've got an exceptionally good finance
committee; Mr. Griswold in particular is regarded as one of the
strongest and shrewdest men in Wall Street."

"Yes; I know he is," Mr. Wintermuth conceded.

"And there's really no good reason why we shouldn't benefit by his
judgment. Now, you know as well as any one that the money to be made
out of underwriting,