med more perplexed
than formerly. Hope Wayne felt it. Amy Waring felt it. Arthur Merlin felt
it. But not one of them could tell whether Lawrence Newt felt it. There
was a vague consciousness of something which nearly concerned them all,
but not one of them could say precisely what it was--except, possibly,
Amy Waring; and except, certainly, Lawrence Newt.

For Aunt Martha's question had drawn from Amy's lips what had lain
literally an unformed suspicion in her mind, until it leaped to life and
rushed armed from her mouth. Amy Waring saw how beautiful Hope Wayne was.
She knew how lovely in character she was. And she was herself beautiful
and lovely; so she said in her mind at once, "Why have I never seen this?
Why did I not know that he must of course love her?"

Then, if she reminded herself of the conversation she had held with
Lawrence Newt about Arthur Merlin and Hope Wayne, she was only perplexed
for a moment. She knew that he could not but be honest; and she said
quietly in her soul, "He did not know at that time how well worthy his
love she was."

CHAPTER LVIII.

THE HEALTH OF THE JUNIOR PARTNER.

"I call for a bumper!" said Lawrence Newt, when the fruit was placed upon
the table.

The glasses were filled, and the host glanced around his table. He did
not rise, but he said:

"Ladies and gentlemen, commercial honesty is not impossible, but it is
rare. I do not say that merchants are worse than other people; I only say
that their temptations are as great, and that an honest man--a man
perfectly honest every how and every where--is a wonder. Whatever an
honest man does is a benefit to all the rest of us. If he become a
lawyer, justice is more secure; if a doctor, quackery is in danger; if
a clergyman, the devil trembles; if a shoemaker, we don't wear rotten
leather; if a merchant, we get thirty-six inches to the yard. I have been
long in business. I have met many honest merchants. But I know that 'tis
hard for a merchant to be honest in New York. Will you show me the place
where 'tis easy? When we are all honest because honesty is the best
policy, then we are all ruined, because that is no honesty at all. Why
should a man make a million of dollars and lose his manhood? He dies when
he has won them, and what are the chances that he can win his manhood
again in the next world as easily as he has won the dollars in this?
For he can't carry his dollars with him. Any firm, therefore, that gets
an honest m