g with energy and enthusiasm and
big plans for the _Post_."

"And Mr. Queed?" said Sharlee. "Was he much disappointed?"

West was a little surprised at the question, but he gathered from her
tone that she thought Mr. Queed had some right to be.

"Why, I think not," he answered, decisively. "Why in the world should he
be? Of course it means only a delay of a year or two for him, at the
most. I betray no confidence when I tell you that I do not expect to
remain editor of the _Post_ forever."

Sharlee appeared struck by this summary of the situation, which, to tell
the truth, had never occurred to her. Therefore, West went on to sketch
it more in detail to her.

"The last thing in the world that I would do," said he, "is to stand in
that boy's light. My one wish is to push him to the front just as fast
as he can stride. Why, I discovered Queed--you and I did, that is--and I
think I may claim to have done something toward training him. To speak
quite frankly, the situation was this: In spite of his great abilities,
he is still very young and inexperienced. Give him a couple of years in
which to grow and broaden and get his bearings more fully, and he will
be the very best man in sight for the place. On the other hand, if he
were thrust prematurely into great responsibility, he would be almost
certain to make some serious error, some fatal break, which would impair
his usefulness, and perhaps ruin it forever. Do you see my point? As his
sponsor on the _Post_, it seemed to me unwise and unfair to expose him
to the risks of forcing his pace. That's the whole story. I'm not the
king at all. I'm only the regent during the king's minority."

Sharlee now saw how unjust she had been, to listen to the small whisper
of doubt of West's entire magnanimity.

"You are much wiser and farther-sighted than I."

"Perish the thought!"

"I'm glad my little Doctor--only he isn't either little or very much of
a doctor any more--has such a good friend at court."

"Nonsense. It was only what anybody who stopped to think a moment would
have done."

"Not everybody who stops to think is so generous...."

This thought, too, Mr. West abolished by a word.

"But you will like the work, won't you!" continued Sharlee, still
self-reproachful. "I do hope you will."

"I shall like it immensely," said West, above pretending, as some
regents would have done, that he was martyring himself for his friend,
the king. "Where can you find any bigger