nto the
"Alfonso," and soon dinner was announced. The steward, thoughtlessly, had
forgotten in New York to purchase flowers for the table, but they were
not missed.

There are women in this world whose presence is so enjoyable that they
rival the charm of both art and flowers. Their voices, their grace of
manner, their interest in you and your welfare, laden the air with an
indescribable something that exhilarates. Their presence is like the
sunshine that warms and perfumes a conservatory; you inhale the odors of
roses, pinks, and climbing jessamines. Such a woman was Nellie Eastlake.
She was tall and winning. The marble heart of the Venus of Milo would
have warmed in her presence. Shakespeare would have said of her eyes,
"They do mislead the morn."

Mrs. Eastlake was in sympathy with the Harrises in their keen
disappointments. She possessed the tact to put Mr. Searles in the
happiest frame of mind, so that he half forgot his mission to America.
The Colonel also forgot, for the hour, that his family were absent, and
that his workmen in Harrisville were on a strike.

Mrs. Eastlake in her girlhood had converted all who knew her into ardent
friends. While at school on the Hudson, she met the rich father of a
schoolmate. Later she was invited to travel with this friend and her
father, Mr. Eastlake, a widower, among the Thousand Islands and down the
St. Lawrence River. She so charmed the millionaire that after graduation
at Smith College she accepted and married him. She was now journeying to
her palatial home on the Pacific Coast. She skilfully helped to guide the
table-talk, avoiding unwelcome topics. The dinner over, a half-hour was
spent with music and magazines, and the party retired for the night.

Breakfast was served as the Express approached Lake Erie. It was agreed
that Mr. Searles should accompany Mrs. Eastlake and Gertrude in the car
"Alfonso," and spend a day or two at Niagara Falls.

Colonel Harris kissed Gertrude, said good-bye to all, and taking a seat
in a Pullman, continued alone on his journey to Harrisville. Returning
home he hoped, if possible, to set matters right at the steel mills
before Mr. Searles arrived.

Left to himself, he now had opportunity for reflection. The time was,
when he was as proud of his ability to do an honest day's work at the
forge as he was to-day proud of his great wealth and growing power in the
manufacturing world. Then he was poor, but he was conscious of forces
hidden