resent my good advice----"

"I don't. I hope it springs from your interest in me."

During this conversation Edgar was brushing his hair carefully and
"prinking" before the glass, for he was anxious to appear as fascinating
as possible when he presented himself to Miss Gilbert.

"Shall we go down?" asked Mark.

"Yes, perhaps we may as well. I suppose you would feel awkward entering
the drawing-room alone."

"Perhaps so," said Mark smiling.

As the two presented themselves in the room below Edgar looked about for
Stanley, but did not see him.

"I wonder where Stanley has disappeared to," he said in a tone of
vexation. "He promised to go up with me to Miss Gilbert."

"If he doesn't show up, Edgar, I shall be glad to take his place. As you
have only recently come to the city, I suppose you don't know her well."

"I only met her once," Edgar admitted, "and she may not remember me."

"Then come with me."

Almost against his wishes Edgar found himself walking up to the other
end of the room with his despised cousin. He would not have believed it
possible if this had been predicted to him an hour earlier.

"Good evening, Mark! I am glad to see you here," said Maud Gilbert, with
a pleasant smile.

"Let me present Mr. Edgar Talbot," said Mark after a suitable
acknowledgment.

"I had the pleasure of meeting you when in company with Stanley
Rayburn," explained Edgar.

"Oh, yes, I remember. And so you are also acquainted with Mark."

"Yes," answered Edgar, rather awkwardly. "I expected Mr. Rayburn to
present me."

"You have found a sponsor equally good," returned Maud.

Then the two walked on, giving place to others.

"You seem to know Miss Gilbert very well," said Edgar in a tone of
curiosity.

"Yes."

"It is strange. I don't understand it."

Edgar was relieved to find that Mark did not claim him as a cousin,
though to his surprise he saw that Mark stood particularly well with the
young hostess.

"How do you, Mark?" The speaker was a bright boy of sixteen, the brother
of Miss Gilbert. "How well you are looking!"

"Thank you, Charlie. If a young lady had told me that it would make me
proud."

"Come along. I will introduce you to a couple of nice girls."

"Who is that?" asked Edgar of Rayburn, who had now come up.

"Don't you know? That is Charlie Gilbert, Maud's brother."

"So he knows Mark, too."

"Why shouldn't he?"

"Because Mark is--you will be surprised to hear it--a common telegraph
bo