s of pictures on the walls that looked fine, and no
mistake.

He was expected. The man led him across the hall to Mr. Vanderpoel's
room. After he had announced his name he closed the door quietly and
went away. Mr. Vanderpoel rose from an armchair to come forward to meet
his visitor. He was tall and straight--Betty had inherited her slender
height from him. His well-balanced face suggested the relationship
between them. He had a steady mouth, and eyes which looked as if they
saw much and far.

"I am glad to see you, Mr. Selden," he said, shaking hands with
him. "You have seen my daughters, and can tell me how they are. Miss
Vanderpoel has written to me of you several times."

He asked him to sit down, and as he took his chair Selden felt that he
had been right in telling himself that Reuben S. Vanderpoel would be
somehow like his girl. She was a girl, and he was an elderly man of
business, but they were like each other. There was the same kind of
straight way of doing things, and the same straight-seeing look in both
of them.

It was queer how natural things seemed, when they really happened to a
fellow. Here he was sitting in a big leather chair and opposite to him
in its fellow sat Reuben S. Vanderpoel, looking at him with friendly
eyes. And it seemed all right, too--not as if he had managed to "butt
in," and would find himself politely fired out directly. He might have
been one of the Four Hundred making a call. Reuben S. knew how to make
a man feel easy, and no mistake. This G. Selden observed at once, though
he had, in fact, no knowledge of the practical tact which dealt with
him. He found himself answering questions about Lady Anstruthers and
her sister, which led to the opening up of other subjects. He did not
realise that he began to express ingenuous opinions and describe things.
His listener's interest led him on, a question here, a rather pleased
laugh there, were encouraging. He had enjoyed himself so much during his
stay in England, and had felt his experiences so greatly to be rejoiced
over, that they were easy to talk of at any time--in fact, it was even a
trifle difficult not to talk of them--but, stimulated by the look which
rested on him, by the deft word and ready smile, words flowed readily
and without the restraint of self-consciousness.

"When you think that all of it sort of began with a robin, it's queer
enough," he said. "But for that robin I shouldn't be here, sir," with a
boyish laugh. "