in its way, too; madder things have happened in
our times; but nothing madder ever happened than a large, bald gentleman
who came up the stairs in a series of bounces and planted his legs apart
and tightened his pudgy grip upon his malacca walking stick, and
confronted them with distended eyes and waistband.

In vigorous but incoherent English he begged to know whether this scene
was part of an education in art.

"Papah," she said calmly, "you are just in time. Go into the studio and
I'll come in one moment."

Then giving her lover both hands and looking at him with all her soul in
her young eyes: "I love you; I'll marry you. And if there's trouble"--she
smiled upon her frantic father--"if there is trouble I will follow you
about the country exhibiting green mice----"

"What!" thundered her father.

"Green mice," she repeated with an adorable smile at her lover--"unless
my father finds a necessity for you in his business--with a view to
partnership. And I'm going to let you arrange that together. Good-by."

And she entered her studio, closing the door behind her, leaving the two
men confronting one another in the entry.

For one so young she had much wisdom and excellent taste; and listening,
she heard her father explode in one lusty Saxon word. He always said it
when beaten; it was the beginning of the end, and the end of the sweetest
beginning that ever dawned on earth for a maid since the first sunbeam
stole into Eden.

So she sat down on her little camp stool before her easel and picked up a
hand glass; and, sitting there, carefully removed all traces of tears
from her wet and lovely eyes with the cambric hem of her painting apron.

"Damnation!" repeated Mr. Carr, "am I to understand that the only thing
you can do for a living is to go about with a troupe of trained mice?"

"I've invented a machine," observed the young man, modestly. "It ought to
be worth millions--if you'd care to finance it."

"The idea is utterly repugnant to me!" shouted her father.

The young man reddened. "If you wouldn't mind examining it--" He drew
from his pocket a small, delicately contrived bit of clockwork. "This is
the machine----"

"I don't want to see it!"

"You _have_ seen it. Do you mind sitting down a moment? Be careful of
that kitten! Kindly take this chair. Thank you. Now, if you would be good
enough to listen for ten minutes----"

"I don't want to be good enough! Do you hear!"

"Yes, I hear," said young Desty