ing surroundings he had thought commonplace
into a garden of wonders. "How poor and tedious the life I marked out
for myself at college was," he was presently thinking, "in comparison
with this life of realities!" He saw that Lorry, instead of being
without ambitions, was inspired by the highest ambitions. "A good son, a
good lover, a good workman," thought Arthur. "What more can a man be, or
aspire to be?" Before his mind's eyes there was, clear as light, vivid
as life, the master workman--his father. And for the first time Arthur
welcomed that vision, felt that he could look into Hiram's grave, kind
eyes without flinching and without the slightest inward reservation of
blame or reproach.

It was some time before the bearing of the case of Lorry and Estelle
upon the case of Arthur and Madelene occurred to him. Once he saw this he
could think of nothing else. He got Lorry's permission to tell Madelene;
and when she had the whole story he said, "You see its message to us?"

And Madelene's softly shining eyes showed that she did, even before her
lips had the chance to say, "We certainly have no respectable excuse
for waiting."

"As soon as mother gets the office done," suggested Arthur.

* * * * *

On the morning after the wedding, at a quarter before seven, Arthur and
Madelene came down the drive together to the new little house by the
gate. And very handsome and well matched they seemed as they stood before
her office and gazed at the sign: "Madelene Ranger, M.D." She unlocked
and opened the door; he followed her in. When, a moment later, he
reappeared and went swinging down the street to his work, his expression
would have made you like him--and envy him. And at the window watching
him was Madelene. There were tears in her fine eyes, and her bosom was
heaving in a storm of emotion. She was saying, "It almost seems wicked to
feel as happy as I do."

CHAPTER XXI

HIRAM'S SON

In Hiram Ranger's last year the Ranger-Whitney Company made half a
million; the first year under the trustees there was a small deficit.
Charles Whitney was most apologetic to his fellow trustees who had given
him full control because he owned just under half the stock and was the
business man of the three. "I've relied wholly on Howells," explained he.
"I knew Ranger had the highest opinion of his ability, but evidently he's
one of those chaps who are good only as lieutenants. However, there's no
exc