approached with eager interest. He came close and stood looking into the
small face with eyes which took in every exquisite feature.

"Jove!" he said, under his breath, and looked up at the young mother. "I
didn't know they made them like that."

She laughed softly, with a mother's happy pride. "His little sister
really ought to have had his looks," she said. "But we're hoping she'll
develop them, and he'll grow plain in time to save him from being
spoiled."

"Do you really hope that?" he laughed incredulously. "Don't hope it too
fast. See here, Boy, are you real? Come here and let me see." He held
out his arms.

"He's very shy," began Mrs. Stephen in explanation of the situation she
now expected to have develop. It did develop in so far that the child
shyly buried his head in her shoulder. But in a moment he peeped out
again. Richard continued to hold out his arms, smiling, and suddenly the
little fellow leaned forward. Richard gently drew him away from his
mother, and, though he looked back at her as if to make sure that she
was there, he presently seemed to surrender himself with confidence into
the stranger's care and gave him back smile for smile.

Richard sat down with little Gordon Gray on his knee, and then ensued
such a conversation between the two, such a frolic of games and smiles,
as his mother could only regard in wonder.

"He never makes friends easily," she said. "I can't understand it. You
must have had plenty of experience with little children somehow, in
spite of those statements about your never having seen a family like
ours before."

"I never held a child like this one before in my life," said Richard
Kendrick. He looked up at her as he spoke.

"If Roberta could see him now," thought Mrs. Stephen, "she wouldn't be
so hard on him. No man who isn't worth knowing can win a baby's
confidence like that. I think he has one of the nicest faces I ever
saw--even though it isn't lined with care." Aloud she said: "It
surprises me that you should care to begin now."

"It's one of those new experiences I'm getting from time to time under
this roof; that's the only way I can account for it. I never even
guessed at the pleasure of making the acquaintance of a small chap like
this. But I've no right to keep you while I taste new experiences. Thank
you for this one. I shan't forget it."

He surrendered the boy with evident reluctance. "I hear you are to have
a houseful of guests next week," he ventured t