other side of the house and
brought other fields of vision into view through other windows. Abruptly
his stroll came to an end.

There sat Julia, flushed and joyous, finishing her supper in company
with old Baldy Clairdyce, Newland Sanders, George Plum, seven or eight
other young gentlemen, and some inconsidered adhering girls--the
horrible barytone sitting closest of all to Julia. Moreover, upon that
very moment the orchestra, in the hall beyond, thought fit to pay the
recent vocalist a sickening compliment, and began to play "The Sunshine
of Your Smile."

Thereupon, with Julia herself first taking up the air in a dulcet
soprano, all of the party, including the people in the other rooms, sang
the dreadful song in chorus, the beaming Clairdyce exerting such
demoniac power as to be heard tremendously over all other voices. He had
risen for this effort, and to Noble, below the window, everything in his
mouth was visible.

The lone listener had a bitter thought, though it was a longing, rather
than a thought. For the first time in his life he wished that he had
adopted the profession of dentistry.

"Geev a-mee the righ to luv va-yew ALL the wile,
My worrrlda for AIV-vorr,
The sunshigh NUV vyewr-ra-smile!"

The musicians swung into dance music; old Baldy closed the exhibition
with an operatic gesture (for which alone, if for nothing else, at least
one watcher thought the showy gentleman deserved hanging), and this
odious gesture concluded with a seizure of Julia's hand. She sprang up
eagerly; he whirled her away, and the whole place fluctuated in the
dance once more.

"Well, now," said Noble, between his teeth--"now, I _am_ goin' to do
something!"

He turned his back upon that painful house, walked out to the front
gate, opened it, passed through, and looked southward. Not quite two
blocks away there shone the lights of a corner drug store, still open to
custom though the hour was nearing midnight. He walked straight to the
door of this place, which stood ajar, but paused before entering, and
looked long and nervously at the middle-aged proprietor who was
unconscious of his regard, and lounged in a chair, drowsily stroking a
cat upon his lap. Noble walked in.

"Good evening," said the proprietor, rising and brushing himself
languidly. "Cat hairs," he said apologetically. "Sheddin', I reckon."
Then, as he went behind the counter, he inquired: "How's the party goin'
off?"

"It's--it's----" Noble he