oo old and too settled in his eccentricities to be inflicted on any
woman, and least of all on a girl like this.

"But still, confound him!" Huntington said to himself, "he came out of
his chrysalis far enough to take notice!"

Then his thoughts jumped from Hamlen to Cosden. Connie was more alive
than Hamlen could ever be expected to become, but the same arguments
applied to him in greater or less degree. It was easy enough to
understand what had attracted him, for Connie always instinctively
sensed in anything the really vital assets. Now that Huntington was
becoming better acquainted with Merry he resented more and more the idea
of this coldly-calculated courtship, and he wondered why this
characteristic of Cosden's had not more often offended him in the past.

From this point it was an easy shift to Billy,--dear, lovable, spoiled,
heedless Billy! Of course he loved Merry, just as he had always loved
every beautiful object he had ever seen; and, naturally enough, he
wanted this beautiful object just as he had wanted hundreds of others
during his brief but meteoric career. And still of course, he looked to
his Uncle Monty to gratify his whim in this as in all other cases! It
was going to the other extreme: Billy was as much too young and
irresponsible as the others were too old and unsuitable. This much
Huntington was able to settle definitely in his mind, and his arrival at
a conclusion brought with it a sense of relief.

Huntington suddenly became aware that his introspection had occupied
more time than courtesy permitted, but Merry, absorbed in her own
thoughts, had not noticed his abstraction. He tried to relieve the
tension.

"'Silence is golden, speech is silvern,'" he quoted. "What do you say to
our adopting a silver standard?"

Merry's laugh showed that the interruption was welcome. "You always say
the least expected thing, Mr. Huntington!" she exclaimed. "My mind was a
thousand miles from here."

"A thousand miles," Huntington repeated reflectively. "I'm fairly good
in geography, but I'm afraid I'll have to ask you the direction before
I locate the spot."

"Straight up," she responded, half entering into his mood, half
returning to her serious vein,--"straight in that kingdom where desire
to do the right and wise thing is not hampered by a lack of knowledge."

"You would like to help Hamlen?"

"Indeed I would!"

What a serious face it was! Huntington studied it with satisfaction yet
with twinges