r had been modified by her changed
fortunes--and whose attitude had not been changed? Thus, she was now
able to appreciate--at least in some measure--Stanley Baird's delicacy
and tact. No, not delicacy and tact, for that implied effort. His
ability to put this offer in such a way that she could accept without
serious embarrassment arose from a genuine indifference to money as
money, a habit of looking upon it simply as a means to an end. He
offered her the money precisely as he would have offered her his
superior strength if it had been necessary to cross a too deep and
swift creek. She had the sense that he felt he was doing something
even less notable than he admitted, and that he talked of it as a
valuable and rather unusual service simply because it was the habit
thus to regard such matters.

As they talked on of "the great career" her spirits went up and up. It
was evident that he now had a new and keen interest in life, that she
was doing him a greater favor than he was doing her. He had always had
money, plenty of it, more than he could use. He now had more than
ever--for, several rich relatives had died and, after the habit of the
rich, had left everything to him, the one of all the connections who
needed it least. He had a very human aversion to spending money upon
people or things he did not like. He would have fought to the last
court an attempt by his wife to get alimony. He had a reputation with
the "charity gang" of being stingy because he would not give them so
much as the price of a bazaar ticket. Also, the impecunious spongers at
his clubs spread his fame as a "tight-wad" because he refused to let
them "stick him up" for even a round of drinks. Where many a really
stingy man yielded through weakness or fear of public opinion, he stood
firm. His one notable surrender of any kind had been his marriage;
that bitter experience had cured him of the surrendering habit for all
time. Thenceforth he did absolutely and in everything as he pleased.

Mildred had heard that he was close about money. She had all but
forgotten it, because her own experience with him had made such a
charge seem ridiculous. She now assumed--so far as she thought about it
at all--that he was extremely generous. She did not realize what a
fine discriminating generosity his was, or how striking an evidence of
his belief in her as well as of his liking for her.

As he rose to go he said: "You mustn't forget that our arrang