tell where she's going to
bring up. Talk about tacking!"

"Do you mean the abstract girl; or Alice?"

"Oh, the abstract girl," said Dan, and they laughed together. "You think
Alice is very straightforward, don't you?"

"Very," said Mrs. Pasmer, looking down with a smile--"for a girl."

"Yes, that's what I mean. And don't you think the most circuitous kind
of fellow would be pretty direct compared with the straight-forwardest
kind of girl?"

There was a rueful defeat and bewilderment in Dan's face that made Mrs.
Pasmer laugh. "What has she been doing now?" she asked.

"Mrs. Pasmer," said Dan, "you and I are the only frank and open people I
know. Well, she began to talk last night about influence--the influence
of other people on us; and she killed off nearly all the people I like
before I knew what she was up to, and she finished with Mrs. Brinkley.
I'm glad she didn't happen to think of you, Mrs. Pasmer, or I shouldn't
be associating with you at the present moment." This idea seemed to give
Mrs. Pasmer inexpressible pleasure. Dan went on: "Do you quite see
the connection between our being entirely devoted to each other and my
dropping Mrs. Brinkley?"

"I don't know," said Mrs. Pasmer. "Alice doesn't like satirical people."

"Well, of course not. But Mrs. Brinkley is such an admirer of hers."

"I dare say she tells you so."

"Oh, but she is!"

"I don't deny it," said Mrs. Pasmer. "But if Alice feels something
inimical--antipatico--in her atmosphere, it's no use talking."

"Oh no, it's no use talking, and I don't know that I want to talk."
After a pause, Mavering asked, "Mrs. Pasmer, don't you think that
where two people are going to be entirely devoted to each other, and
self-sacrificing to each other, they ought to divide, and one do all the
devotion, and the other all the self-sacrifice?"

Mrs. Pasmer was amused by the droll look in Dan's eyes. "I think they
ought to be willing to share evenly," she said.

"Yes; that's what I say--share and share alike. I'm not selfish about
those little things." He blew off a long sighing breath. "Mrs. Pasmer,
don't you think we ought to have an ideal of conduct?"

Mrs. Pasmer abandoned herself to laughter. "O Dan! Dan! You will be the
death of me."

"We will die together, then, Mrs. Pasmer. Alice will kill me." He
regarded her with a sad sympathy in his eye as she laughed and laughed
with delicious intelligence of the case. The intelligence was perfect,
from thei