ked.

"I don't believe it--I believe things are getting more serious. You
young men will find that out."

"The increasing seriousness of things, then that's the great opportunity
of jokes."

"They'll have to be grim jokes," said the old man. "I'm convinced there
will be great changes, and not all for the better."

"I quite agree with you, sir," Lord Warburton declared. "I'm very sure
there will be great changes, and that all sorts of queer things will
happen. That's why I find so much difficulty in applying your advice;
you know you told me the other day that I ought to 'take hold' of
something. One hesitates to take hold of a thing that may the next
moment be knocked sky-high."

"You ought to take hold of a pretty woman," said his companion. "He's
trying hard to fall in love," he added, by way of explanation, to his
father.

"The pretty women themselves may be sent flying!" Lord Warburton
exclaimed.

"No, no, they'll be firm," the old man rejoined; "they'll not be
affected by the social and political changes I just referred to."

"You mean they won't be abolished? Very well, then, I'll lay hands on
one as soon as possible and tie her round my neck as a life-preserver."

"The ladies will save us," said the old man; "that is the best of them
will--for I make a difference between them. Make up to a good one and
marry her, and your life will become much more interesting."

A momentary silence marked perhaps on the part of his auditors a sense
of the magnanimity of this speech, for it was a secret neither for his
son nor for his visitor that his own experiment in matrimony had not
been a happy one. As he said, however, he made a difference; and these
words may have been intended as a confession of personal error; though
of course it was not in place for either of his companions to remark
that apparently the lady of his choice had not been one of the best.

"If I marry an interesting woman I shall be interested: is that what you
say?" Lord Warburton asked. "I'm not at all keen about marrying--your
son misrepresented me; but there's no knowing what an interesting woman
might do with me."

"I should like to see your idea of an interesting woman," said his
friend.

"My dear fellow, you can't see ideas--especially such highly ethereal
ones as mine. If I could only see it myself--that would be a great step
in advance."

"Well, you may fall in love with whomsoever you please; but you mustn't
fall in love with my