to offer congratulations to the prospective bride upon
her enviable and happy fortune. The note, which again had come into her
possession upon Stephen's return of it, whose contents were still
unknown to her, she had restored to Peggy, together with a full
explanation of its loss and its subsequent discovery. One phase of its
history, however, she had purposely overlooked. It might have proved
embarrassing for her to relate how it chanced to fall into the hands of
Stephen. And inasmuch as he had made no comment upon its return, she was
satisfied that the incident was unworthy of the mention.

Anderson called promptly on the hour and found her waiting. They left
the house at once and by mutual agreement walked the entire distance.
This was preferable, for there was no apparent haste to reach their
destination, and for the present no greater desire throbbed within them
than the company of their own selves. For they talked continually of
themselves and for that reason could never weary of each other's
company.

The country about them was superb. The fields stood straight in green
and gold on every side of the silvery road. Beside them as they passed,
great trees reared themselves aloft from the greensward, which divided
the road from the footpath, and rustled in the breeze, allowing the
afternoon sunshine to reveal itself in patches and glimpses; and the air
between was a sea of subdued light, resonant with the liquid notes of
the robin and the whistle of the quail, intruders upon the uniform
tranquillity of the hot Sunday afternoon.

"Does it not strike you that there are but few persons with whom it is
possible to converse seriously?"

"Seriously?" asked Marjorie. "What do you call seriously?"

"In an intelligent manner, together with perfect ease and attention."

"I suppose that this is true on account of the great want of sincerity
among men."

"That, as well as the impatient desire we possess of intruding our own
thoughts upon our hearer with little or no desire of listening to those
which he himself may want to express."

"We are sincere with no one but ourselves, don't you think? The mere
fact of the entrance of a second person means that we must try to
impress him. You have said that prosperity thrives on pretense."

"And I repeat it. But with friends all guile and dissimulation ceases.
We often praise the merits of our neighbor in the hope that he in turn
will praise us. Only a few have the humility and