prite, while Caroline's
smile began to reflect something of the real gladness that possessed
her soul. Dick and Billy took up the burden of the entertainment of
the party, and gave at least an excellent imitation of inspirational
gaiety.

"This _filet of sole_," Billy observed as he sampled his second course
appreciatively, "is common or barnyard flounder,--and the shrimp and
the oyster crab, and that mushroom of the sea, and the other little
creature in the corner of my plate who shall be nameless, because I
have no idea what his name is,--are all put in to make it harder."

"Gaspard is using some of the simpler native products now instead of
the high-priced imported ones," Nancy said eagerly, "and he is getting
wonderful results, I think."

"Flounder _a la Francaise_ is all right," Dick said.

"Our restaurant has reformed," Betty said. "We're running it on a
strictly business basis."

"And making money?" Dick asked quickly.

"We're not losing much," Betty said. "That's a great improvement."

"Some of those little girls from the publishing houses look paler to
me than they did," Nancy said. "I wish I could give them hypodermics
of protein and carbohydrates."

"Give me the name and address of any of your customers that worry
you," Dick said, "and I'll buy 'em a cow or a sugar plum tree or a
flivver or anything else they seem to be in need of."

"Don't those things tend to pauperize the poor?" Caroline's brother
put in gravely.

"Sure they do," Billy agreed, "only Nancy has kind of given up her
struggle not to pauperize them."

"I started in with some very high ideals about scientific service,"
Nancy explained. "I was never going to give anybody anything they
hadn't actually earned in some way, except to bring up the average of
normality by feeding my patrons surreptitious calories. I had it all
figured out that the only legitimate charity was putting flesh on the
bones of the human race,--that increasing the general efficiency that
way wasn't really charity at all."

"You don't believe that now?" Preston Eustace asked.

"I don't know what I believe now."

"What is scientific charity, anyhow?" Dick looked about inquiringly.

"There ain't no such animal," Billy contributed.

"It's substituting the cool human intellect for the warm human heart,
I guess," Betty said dreamily.

"But that so often works," Caroline said.

"I was never going to make any mistakes," Nancy said. "I was going
to keep my fist