awfully risky
one, too,--your stealing your own yacht from me! I didn't think it of
you. You not only broke up my boat party--you see, Sally was going on
down with us from Natchez--Miss Emory said she'd be glad to have her
come, and of course she and Mrs. Daniver made it proper, all right--I
say, you not only busted that all up, but by not sending a fellow the
least word of what you were going to do, you got those silly
newspapers crazy, from New Orleans to New York--why, you're famous,
that is, notorious! But so is Miss Emory, that's the worst of it. I
don't just fancy she'll just fancy some of those pictures, or some of
those stories. Least you can do now is to marry Helena and the old
girl, too, right off!"

"In part, that is good advice," said I. "I wish I could wear your
clothes, Cal--but I remember now that Edouard and I can wear the same
clothes, and have, many a time."

"But I say, don't be so hoggish. There's other people in the world
beside you--_you'd_ never have thought of making that river cruise,
now would you?"

"No."

"Nor you couldn't have got Helena aboard the boat if you had, now
could you?"

"No."

"Let alone the old girl, her revered aunt!" He dug another thumb into
his own pink striped waistcoat. "She loves you a lot, I am not of the
impression!"

"No, I think she rather favored you!" I replied gravely.

"No chance! And I say, isn't Sally a humdinger? Just the sort for
me--something doing every minute. And a fellow can always tell just
what she's thinkin'----"

"I'm not right sure, Cal, whether that's safe to say of any woman,"
said I. "A ship on the sea, or a serpent on a rock has--to use your
own quaint manner of speech, my friend--so to speak, nothing on the
way of a maid with a man. But go on. I do congratulate you. Do you
know, old man, I almost thought, once--a good while ago--that you were
just a little--that is--_epris_ of Helena your own self?"

"Come again? 'Apree'--what's that?"

"--Gone on her."

"Oh, not at all, not at all--not in the least! Why, I can't see what
in the world--oh, well of course, you know, she's _fine_; but what I
mean is, why--there was Sally, you know. Say, do you know why I wanted
to get Sally away on that boat?--I was afraid you'd cut in somewhere,
run across her down at Mardi Gras, or something. And I just _figured_,
once you got a girl on a boat that way, away from all the other
fellows, you know, why even a plain chap like me would have a chanc