, Dicky may come back to New York to live."

"He should never have left. What does your mother think of it?"

"I haven't told her of Austin's offer. I shall write to-night."

"If she has a grain of sense, she'll make you take it."

Eve was restless. "Come on down, Dicky. It is time that Aunt Maude was in
bed."

"I never go until you do, Eve, and in my day young men went home before
morning."

"Dearest, Dicky shall leave in ten minutes. I'll send him."

But when they were once more in the great drawing-room, she forgot the
time limit. "Don't let your mother settle things for you, Dicky. Think of
yourself and your future. Of your--manhood, Dicky--please."

She was very lovely as she stood before him, with her hands on his
shoulders. "I want you to be the biggest of them--all," she said, and her
laugh was tremulous.

"I know. Eve, I want to stay."

"Oh, Dicky--really?"

"Really, Eve."

Their hands came together in a warm clasp.

She let him go after that. There had been nothing more than brotherly
warmth in his manner, but it was enough that in the days to come she was
to have him near her.

Richard, writing to his mother, told her something of his state of mind.
"I'll admit that it tempts me. It is a big thing, a very big thing, to
work with a man like that. Yet knowing how you feel about it, I dare not
decide. We shall have to face one thing, however. The Crossroads practice
will never be a money-making practice. I know how little money means to
you, but the lack of it will mean that I shall be tied to rather small
things as the years go on. I should like to be one of the Big Men,
mother. You see I am being very frank. I'll admit that I dreamed with
you--of bringing all my talents to the uplift of a small community, of
reviving at Crossroads the dignity of other days. But--perhaps we have
dreamed too much--the world doesn't wait for the dreamers--the only way
is to join the procession."

In the day which intervened between his letter and his mother's answer,
he had breakfast with Eve in the room with the flame-colored fishes and
the parrot and the green-eyed cat. He motored with Eve out to
Westchester, and they had lunch at an inn on the side of a hill which
overlooked the Hudson; later they went to a matinee, to tea in a special
little corner of a down-town hotel for the sake of old days, then back
again to dress for dinner at Eve's, with Aunt Maude at the head of the
table, and Tony and Winifred and