frame of mind; consequently he came to
Dolly for comfort.

"And she's coming to London, too," he ended, after favoring the
assemblage with extracts from the letter. "And, of course, she will
expect me to do the dutiful. Confound her money! I wish she would build
an asylum for irate, elderly spinsters with it, and retire into it
for the remainder of her natural life. I don't want it, and"--with
praiseworthy ingenuousness--"I shouldn't get it if I did!"

"But," said Dolly, when they found themselves alone for a few minutes,
"it would be an agreeable sort of thing to have, Griffith, upon the
whole, wouldn't it?"

They were standing close together by the fire, Griffith with his arm
thrown round the girl's waist, and she with both her plump, flexible
hands clasped on his shoulder and her chin resting on them, and her big,
round eyes gazing up into his. She was prone to affectionate, nestling
attitudes and coaxing ways--with Griffith it may be understood--her
other adorers were treated cavalierly enough.

"A nice sort of thing," echoed Griffith. "I should think it would. I
should like to have it for your sake. I don't care for it so much for
myself, you know, Dolly, but I want the time to come when I can buy you
such things as Old Flynn's nieces wear. It would n't be a waste of good
material on such a figure as yours. I have an idea of my own about a
winter dress I intend you to have when we are rich,--a dark blue velvet,
and a hat with a white plume in, and one of those muff affairs made of
long white silky fur--"

"Angora," said Dolly, her artless enjoyment of the idea shining in her
eyes. "Angora, Griffith."

"I don't know what it's called," answered Griffith, "but it is exactly
your style, and I have thought about it a dozen times. Ah, if we were
only rich!"

Dolly laughed joyously, clasping her hands a little closer over his
shoulder. Their conversations upon prospects generally ended in some
such pleasantly erratic remarks. They never were tired of supposing
that they were rich; and really, in default of being rich, it must be
admitted that there is some consolation in being in a frame of mind
which can derive happiness from such innocent day-dreams.

"Just think of the house we would have," she said, "and the fun we could
all have together, if you and I were rich and--and married, Griffith.
We should be happy if we were married, and not rich, but if we were rich
_and_ married--goodness, Griffith!" and she ope