"speaking" to Patty Fairchild, for
each believed her treacherous to himself; but Florence now informed
Herbert that far from depending on mere hearsay, she had in her own
possession the confession of his knowledge that he had ocular beauty;
that she had discovered the paper where Patty had lost it; and that it
was now in a secure place, and in an envelope, upon the outside of which
was already written, "For Wallie Torbin. Kindness of Florence A."

Herbert surrendered.

So did Henry Rooter, a little later that evening, after a telephoned
conversation with the slave-driver.

Therefore, the two miserable printers were back in their places the next
afternoon. They told each other that the theatre they had planned wasn't
so much after all; and anyhow your father and mother didn't last all
your life, and it was better to do what they wanted, and be polite while
they were alive.

And on Saturday the new _Oriole_, now in every jot and item the inspired
organ of feminism, made its undeniably sensational appearance.

A copy, neatly folded, was placed in the hand of Noble Dill, as he set
forth for his place of business, after lunching at home with his mother.
Florence was the person who placed it there; she came hurriedly from
somewhere in the neighbourhood, out of what yard or alley he did not
notice, and slipped the little oblong sheet into his lax fingers.

"There!" she said breathlessly. "There's a good deal about you in it
this week, Mr. Dill, and I guess--I guess----"

"What, Florence?"

"I guess maybe you'll----" She looked up at him shyly; then, with no
more to say, turned and ran back in the direction whence she had come.
Noble walked on, not at once examining her little gift, but carrying it
absently in fingers still lax at the end of a dangling arm. There was no
life in him for anything. Julia was away.

Away! And yet the dazzling creature looked at him from sky, from earth,
from air; looked at him with the most poignant kindness, yet always
shook her head! She had answered his first letter by a kind little note,
his second by a kinder and littler one, and his third, fourth, fifth,
and sixth by no note at all; but by the kindest message (through one of
her aunts) that she was thinking about him a great deal. And even this
was three weeks ago. Since then from Julia--nothing at all!

But yesterday something a little stimulating had happened. On the
street, downtown, he had come face to face, momentarily, with J