stle.

"What's happened?" he ejaculated, and stood staring.

"Do you like it?" asked his wife.

"I should say I did. But what's done it? What makes the room look so
different? It looks--why it looks like your rooms!" he cried, gazing at
Anthony.

"He can say nothing more flattering than that," said Judith, evidently not
altogether pleased. "It's the highest compliment he knows."

Carey stared at the lamp. "I didn't know we had that," he said. "Is it
that that does it?"

"I fancy it is," said Anthony. "I never understood it till I was taught,
but it seems to be a fact that a low light in a room gives it a more
homelike effect than a high one. I don't know why. It's one of my wife's
pet theories."

"Well, I must say this is a pretty convincing demonstration of it," Carey
agreed, sitting down in a chair in a corner, his hands in his pockets,
still studying this, to him, remarkable transformation. "It certainly does
look like a happy home now. Before, it was a place to receive calls in."
He turned, smiling contentedly, to his wife. Something about the glance
which she returned warned him that further admiration was unnecessary. The
contented smile faded a little. He got up and came over to the table.
"Now, let's have a good four-handed talk," he proposed.

Two hours later, in the seclusion of the guest-room upstairs, Anthony said
under his breath:

"They're coming on, aren't they? Don't you see glimmerings of hope that
some day this will resemble a home, in a sort of far-off way? Isn't Judith
becoming domesticated a trifle? She didn't get up that dinner?"

Juliet turned upon him a smiling face, and laid her finger on her lip.
"Don't tempt me to discuss it," she warned him. "My feelings might run
away with me, and that would never do under their very roof."

"Exemplary little guest! May I say as much as this, then? I'd give a good
deal to see Wayne speak his mind once in a way, without a side glance to
see if Her Royal Majesty approves."

But Juliet shook her head. "Don't tempt me," she begged again. "There's
something inside of me that boils and boils with rage, and if I should
just take the cover off----"

"Might I get scalded? All right--I'll leave the cover on. Just one
observation more. When I get inside our own four walls again I'm going to
give a tremendous whoop of joy and satisfaction that'll raise the roof
right off the house!"

XXV.--THE ROBESON WILL

When people are busy and happy the y