sharpness. "What on earth are you talking about? Eugene
Morgan's perfectly able to finance his own inventions these days."

"I'll bet he borrows money of Uncle George," the nephew insisted.

Isabel looked at him in grave perplexity. "Why do you say such a thing,
George?" she asked.

"He strikes me as that sort of man," he answered doggedly. "Isn't he,
father?"

Minafer set down his paper for the moment. "He was a fairly wild young
fellow twenty years ago," he said, glancing at his wife absently. "He
was like you in one thing, Georgie; he spent too much money--only he
didn't have any mother to get money out of a grandfather for him, so he
was usually in debt. But I believe I've heard he's done fairly well of
late years. No, I can't say I think he's a swindler, and I doubt if he
needs anybody else's money to back his horseless carriage."

"Well, what's he brought the old thing here for, then? People that
own elephants don't take them elephants around with 'em when they go
visiting. What's he got it here for?"

"I'm sure I don't know," said Mr. Minafer, resuming his paper. "You
might ask him."

Isabel laughed, and patted her husband's shoulder again. "Aren't you
going to dress? Aren't we all going to the dance?"

He groaned faintly. "Aren't your brother and Georgie escorts enough for
you and Fanny?"

"Wouldn't you enjoy it at all?"

"You know I don't."

Isabel let her hand remain upon his shoulder a moment longer; she stood
behind him, looking into the fire, and George, watching her broodingly,
thought there was more colour in her face than the reflection of the
flames accounted for. "Well, then," she said indulgently, "stay at home
and be happy. We won't urge you if you'd really rather not."

"I really wouldn't," he said contentedly.

Half an hour later, George was passing through the upper hall, in a
bath-robe stage of preparation for the evening's' gaieties, when he
encountered his Aunt Fanny. He stopped her. "Look here!" he said.

"What in the world is the matter with you?" she demanded, regarding
him with little amiability. "You look as if you were rehearsing for a
villain in a play. Do change your expression!"

His expression gave no sign of yielding to the request; on the contrary,
its somberness deepened. "I suppose you don't know why father doesn't
want to go tonight," he said solemnly. "You're his only sister, and yet
you don't know!"

"He never wants to go anywhere that I ever heard of," sai