rallied with the objection that Potts's plan would be
deceit.

"Well, now, that's what I call cheeky," replied its author, with a drawl
of astonishment. "I suppose it wasn't deceit when you were prancing
around in your best clothes both literally and figuratively, trying to
bring your good points into such absurd prominence as to delude her into
the idea that you had no bad ones. Oh, no, it's only deceit when you
appear worse than you are, not when you try to appear better. Strikes me
that when you 'ye got a girl into a fix, it won't do at that time of
day to plead your conscience as a reason for not getting her out of
it. Seeing that a man is generally ready to sacrifice his character in
reality to his own interests, he ought to be willing to sacrifice it in
appearance to another's."

Mathewson was squelched, but Sturgis came to his relief with the
suggestion:--

"Would n't a little genuine heartache, which I take it is healthy
enough, if it is n't pleasant, be better for her than the cynical
feeling, the disgust with human nature, which she would experience from
finding her ideal of excellence a scamp or a fool?"

The others seemed somewhat impressed, but Potts merely ejaculated,--

"Bosh!" Allowing a brief pause for this ejaculation to do its work
in demoralizing the opposition he proceeded. "Sturgis, you remember
'Midsummer Night's Dream,' and how Titania, on the application of Puck's
clarifying lotion to her eyes, perceives that in Bottom she has loved an
ass. Don't you suppose Titania suffered a good deal from the loss of her
ideal?"

There was a general snicker at Sturgis's expense.

"Well, now," continued Potts gravely, "a woman who should fall in love
with one of us fellows and deem him a hero would be substantially in
Titania's plight when she adored Bottom, and about as much an object
of pity when her hero disclosed an asininity which would be at least as
near to being his real character as the heroism she ascribed to him."

"That 's all very well," said Merril dryly, "but it strikes me that it's
middling cheeky for you fellows to be discussing how you 'll jilt your
sweethearts with least expense to their feelings, when the chances are
that if you should ever get one, you 'll need all your wits to keep her
from jilting you."

"You are, as usual, trivial and inconsequential this evening, Merril,"
replied Potts, when the laughter had subsided. "Supposing, as you
suggest, that we shall be the jilted a