ral Westley was in what Wetmore called the bloom of age. He might
be depended upon for the unexpected, like fate. He occasionally did it,
he occasionally said it, from the passive hospitality that
characterized him.

"I believe I share that impatience of yours, Mrs. Rangeley," he now
remarked; "though in the present case I think we ought to leave
everything to Mr. Ludlow's conscience."

"Oh, do you think that would be quite safe?" she asked with burlesque
seriousness. "Well! If we _must_!"

Ludlow said, "Why, I think Mrs. Rangeley is right. I would much rather
yield to compulsion. I don't mind telling what kept me, if I'm obliged
to."

"Oh, I almost hate to have you, now!" Mrs. Rangeley bubbled back. "Your
willingness, somehow, makes it awful. You may be going to boast of it!"

"No, no!" Wetmore interposed. "I don't believe it's anything to boast
of."

"Now, you see, you _must_ speak," said Mrs. Westley.

Ludlow fell back in his chair, and dreamily crumbled his bread. "I
don't see how I can, exactly."

Wetmore leaned forward and looked at Ludlow round the snowy shoulder of
a tall lady next him.

"Is there any particular form of words in which you like to be
prompted, when you get to this point?"

"Dr. Brayton might hypnotize him," suggested the lady whose shoulder
Wetmore was looking round.

The doctor answered across the table, "In these cases of the inverted
or prostrated will, there is often not volition enough to cooeperate
with the hypnotizer. I don't believe I could do anything with Mr.
Ludlow."

"How much," sighed Mrs. Rangeley, "I should like to be the centre of
universal interest like that!"

"It's a good pose," said Wetmore; "but really I think Ludlow is working
it too hard. I don't approve of mob violence, as the papers say when
they're going to; but if he keeps this up much longer I won't be
answerable for the consequences. I feel that we are getting beyond the
control of our leaders."

Ludlow was tempted to exploit the little incident with Cornelia, for he
felt sure that it would win the dinner-table success which we all like
to achieve. Her coming to study art in New York, and her arriving in
that way, was a pretty romance; prettier than it would have been if she
were plainer, and he knew that he could give the whole situation so
that she should appear charming, and should appeal to everybody's
sympathy. If he could show her stiff and blunt, as she was, so much the
better. He would go b