that any man would be glad to make," growled
Wharton. "It was not till he had no soul worth taking that the devil had
a chance to win."

Catherine turned on him suddenly with her eyes full of humor: "Then that
is the bargain you offer us women. You want us to take you on condition
that we amuse you, and then you tell us that if we do amuse you, it will
be because you are no longer worth taking. Thank you! I can amuse myself
better. When we come home from Europe, I am going to buy a cattle ranche
in Colorado and run it myself. You and Mr. Strong and Mr. Hazard shall
come out there and see it. You will want me to take you on wages as
cowboys. I mean to have ten thousand head, and when you see them you
will say that they are better worth painting than all the saints and
naiads round the Mediterranean."

Wharton looked earnestly at her for a moment before replying, and she
met his eyes with a laugh that left him helpless. Unless taken
seriously, he was beneath the level of average men. At last he closed
the talk with a desperate confession of failure.

"If you will not go to Vaucluse, Miss Brooke, go at least to the British
Museum in London, and when you are there, take a long look at what are
called the Elgin marbles. There you will see Greek warriors killing each
other with a smile on their faces. You remind me of them. You are like
Achilles who answers his Trojan friend's prayer for life by saying:
'Die, friend; you are no better than others I have killed.' I mean to
get Miss Dudley to give me her portrait of you, and I shall paint in,
over your head: [Greek: PHILOS THANE KAI SY]; and hang it up in my
studio to look at, when I am in danger of feeling happy."

With this they rambled back again towards their friends and ended for
the time their struggle for mastery. The morning was soon over; all
returned to their hotel, and luncheon followed; a silent meal at which
no one seemed bright except Strong, who felt that the burden was
beginning to be a heavy one. Had it not been for Strong, not one of the
party would have moved out of the house again that day, but the
Professor privately ordered a sleigh to the door at three o'clock, and
packed his uncle and aunt into it together with Catherine and Wharton.
Catherine's love of driving lent her energy, and Mrs. Murray, sadly
enough, consented to let her take the reins. As they drove away, Strong
stood on the porch and watched them till they had disappeared down the
road. Th