st, from the
President's message to the causes of the fall of Rome, and thence by
wholly logical transitions to the French Revolution and Woman's
Suffrage. Byrd gradually became so absorbed that he almost, but not
quite, neglected to keep Mr. Miller in his place. As for Queed, he spoke
in defense of the "revolt of woman" for five minutes without
interruption, and his masterly sentences finally drew the silence and
attention of Mr. Miller himself.

"Who is that fellow?" he asked in an undertone. "I didn't catch his
name."

Sharlee told him.

"He's got a fine face," observed Mr. Miller. "I've made quite a study of
faces, and I never saw one just like his--so absolutely on one note, if
you know what I mean."

"What note is that?" asked Sharlee, interested by him for the only time
so long as they both did live.

"Well, it's not always easy to put a name to it, but I'd call it ...
_honesty_.--_If_ you know what I mean."

Mr. Miller stayed until half-past ten. The door had hardly shut upon him
when Byrd, too, rose.

"Oh, don't go, Beverley!" protested Sharlee. "I've hardly spoken to
you."

"Duty calls," said Byrd. "I'm going to walk home with Mr. Miller."

"Beverley--don't! You were quite horrid enough while he was here."

"But you spoiled it all by being so unnecessarily agreeable! It is my
business, as your friend and well-wisher, to see that he doesn't carry
away too jolly a memory of his visit. Take lunch downtown with me
to-morrow, won't you, Mr. Queed--at the Business Men's Club? I want to
finish our talk about the Catholic nations, and why they're decadent."

Queed said that he would, and Byrd hurried away to overtake Mr. Miller.
Or, perhaps that gentleman was only a pretext, and the young man's
experienced eye had read that any attempt to outsit the learned
assistant editor was foredoomed to failure.

"I'm so glad you stayed," said Sharlee, as Queed reseated himself. "I
shouldn't have liked not to exchange a word with you on your first visit
here."

"Oh! This is not my first visit, you may remember."

"Your first voluntary visit, perhaps I should have said."

He let his eyes run over the room, and she could see that he was
thinking, half-unconsciously, of the last time when he and she had sat
here.

"I had no idea of going," he said absently, "till I had the opportunity
of speaking to you."

A brief silence followed, which clearly did not embarrass him, at any
rate. Sharlee, feeling the necessi