y say the Boston trustee has doubled some of it that he
invested."

"I wish she hadn't a cent!" the young man flung out angrily.

"Well, money is not to be despised. She'll get a little tired by and by,
and long for a home and children of her own, as we all do. And if you
haven't found any one else----"

"I never shall find any one like her;" gloomily.

"Oh, there are a great many nice girls in the world."

Avis knew all the best people in Salem, it was not so large, after all.
And they came to the beautiful house and made merry, played "guessing
words"--what we call charades, quite a new thing then--and it made no
end of merriment. Of course, Cynthia was in them, was arch and piquant,
and delighted the audience. Then they had supper and more dancing. One
of the Turner boys, Archibald, hovered about Cynthia like a shadow.
There was Ben Upham, but Edward Saltonstall warded them off to her
satisfaction. But Bella Turner was shortly to be married, and Archie
would have her for that evening surely.

She and Mr. Saltonstall were very good friends. He was a little older
than the others, and grown wary by experience. But it was queer that
half a dozen girls were pulling straws for him and here was one who did
not care, would not raise a finger, but, oh, how sweet her smiles were.

"If you are a bridesmaid the third time, you will never be a bride,"
said some of the wiseacres.

Cynthia tossed her proud, dainty head and laughed over it to Cousin
Chilian. He looked a little grave.

"Would you mind if I were an old maid? I wouldn't really be _old_ in a
long while, you know. And you will always want some one. If anything
should happen to Cousin Eunice, how lonely you would be."

"Yes, if you went away."

"I don't care for any of them very much. I like Mr. Saltonstall the
best. He isn't quite so young, so--so sort of impetuous. And the boys
get jealous."

Then it was likely to be Mr. Saltonstall, after all! Was he going to be
narrow and mean enough to keep her out of what was best in a woman's
life? But he looked down the dreary years without her. He could not
attach himself to the world of business as Cousin Giles did. Some of
these young fellows might come into a sort of sonship with him--there
was Anthony Drayton.

Why was it his soul protested against them? He did not understand the
deep underlying dissent that made a cruel discordance in his desire for
her happiness.

Mr. Saltonstall walked home from church wi