said, pleasantly. "He is voluminous,
and what a sensible book he has written. I wish all authors had given us
so much information. But I meant, is that all he says about hotels?
Doesn't he justify your friend just a little bit in her expectations?"

"I'm sure I don't know," Marion said, amused in turn at the good-natured
interest which the elderly gentleman took in the question. "He has said
so much that I haven't had time to digest it all. If you have, won't you
please enlighten me as to his wisdom on this subject?" "'Especially one
of some style or pretensions,'" quoted the old gentleman, "so Webster
adds. You see I am interested in the subject," and he laughed
pleasantly. "I have been looking it up, which must be my apology for
addressing you young ladies, if so old a man as I must apologize for
being interested in girls. The fact is, I had occasion to talk with a
young man yesterday who took the people to task most roundly for that
very name, on the ground that they had no right to it--that it was a
misnomer. I have been struck with the thought that nothing is trivial,
not even the name that happens to be chosen for a house where one
_waits_ for his dinner," with a strong emphasis on the word "wait,"
which Eurie understood and laughed over.

"Except the remarks that people make about such things," Marion said,
answering the first part of the sentence and bestowing a wicked glance
on Ruth. "They are trivial enough. Did you agree with the young
gentleman?"

"No. I thought it all over and consulted Webster, as I said, and came to
the conclusion that in view of this being a more pretentious house than
either of the others they had a right to the word. Webster doesn't say
what degree of pretension is necessary, you know."

The lifting of Ruth's eyebrows at this point was so expressive that all
the party laughed. But the old gentleman grew grave again in a moment,
as he said:

"But the thought that impressed me most was what a very perfect system
of faith the religion of Jesus Christ is; how completely it commends
itself to the human heart, since the very slightest departure from what
is regarded as strictly true and right, when it is done by a Christian
(society or individual), is noticed and commented upon by lookers-on;
they seem to know of a certainty that it is not according to the Spirit
of Christ."

This last sentence struck Marion dumb. How fond she was of caviling at
Christian lives! Was she really thus gi