t intend to now.

"Oh," I said, side-stepping what was really in my mind, "cunningly,
because here I am, in a last winter's hat and a sweater for warmth
underneath my old summer's suit, and yet I'm happy. If life has woven me
into such a design as that--I think it's very clever of it."

"_Are_ you happy?" questioned Mrs. Sewall.

"Yes, I believe I am," I replied honestly. "That, of course, isn't
saying I am not just a little lonely sometimes. But I'm interested. I'm
terribly interested, Mrs. Sewall."

"Well, but weren't you interested when you were a debutante? You
referred to having been a debutante, you remember, once. Weren't you, as
you say, terribly interested _then_?"

"Yes, in a way, I suppose I was. But I believe _then_ I was interested
in myself, and what was good for my social success, and now--it sounds
painfully self-righteous--but now I'm interested in things outside. I'm
interested in what's good for the success of the world." I blushed in
the dusk. It sounded so affected. "I mean," I said, "I'm interested in
reforms and unions, and suffrage, and things like that. I used to be so
awfully individualistic."

"Individualistic! Where do you run across these ideas? A girl like you.
Parasitism, and suffrage! Is my secretary a suffragette?" she asked me
smilingly.

"Well," I replied, "I believe that woman's awakening is one of the
greatest forces at work today for human emancipation."

"Well, well," ejaculated Mrs. Sewall. "So my secretary thinks if women
vote, all the wrinkles in this old world will be ironed out."

I knew I was being made fun of a little, but I was willing nevertheless.

"The influence suffrage will have on politics will not be so important
as the influence it will have on ethics and conventions," I replied,
"and I believe it will have such a beneficial influence that it will be
worth Uncle Sam's trouble to engage a few more clerks to count the
increased number of ballots."

"Well--well. Is that so?" smiled Mrs. Sewall, amused. "Do you think
women competent to sit on juries, become just judges, and make unbiased
and fair decisions? What have you to say to that, Miss Enthusiast?"

"Women are untrained now, of course, but in time they will learn the
manners of positions of trust, as men have, through being ridiculed in
print, through bitter experiences of various kinds. If they are given a
few years at it, they'll learn that they can't afford to be hasty and
pettish in public positi