w."

"And the garden was your sole subject of conversation?" inquired Eileen,
implied doubt conveyed nicely.

"No, it was not," answered Gilman, all the bulldog in his nature coming
to the surface.

"As I knew perfectly," said Eileen. "I admit that I'm not feeling
myself. Things began going wrong recently, and everything has gone wrong
since. I think it all began with Marian Thorne's crazy idea of selling
her home and going to the city to try to ape a man."

"Marian never tried to ape a man in her life," said John, instantly
yielding to a sense of justice. "She is as strictly feminine as any
woman I ever knew."

"Do you mean to say that you think studying architecture is a woman's
work?" sneered Eileen.

"Yes, I do," said Gilman emphatically. "Women live in houses. They're
in them nine tenths of the time to a man's one tenth. Next to rocking
a cradle I don't know of any occupation in this world more distinctly
feminine than the planning of comfortable homes for homekeeping people."

Eileen changed the subject swiftly. "What was Linda saying to you?" she
asked.

"She was showing me a plant, a rare Echeveria of the Cotyledon family,
that she tobogganed down one side of Multiflores Canyon and delivered
safely on the roadway without its losing an appreciable amount of
'bloom' from its exquisitely painted leaves."

Eileen broke in rudely. "Linda has missed Marian. There's not a possible
thing to make life uncomfortable for me that she is not doing. You
needn't tell me you didn't see and understand her rude forwardness the
other night!"

"No, I didn't see it," said John, "because the fact is I thought the kid
was positively charming, and so did Peter and Henry because both of them
said so. There's one thing you must take into consideration, Eileen. The
time has come when she should have clothes and liberty and opportunity
to shape her life according to her inclinations. Let me tell you she
will attract attention in georgette and laces."

"And where are the georgette and laces to come from?" inquired Eileen
sarcastically. "All outgo and no income for four years is leaving the
Strong finances in mighty precarious shape, I can tell you."

"All right," said Gilman, "I'm financially comfortable now. I'm ready.
Say the word. We'll select our location and build our home, and let
Linda have what there is of the Strong income till she is settled in
life. You have pretty well had all of it for the past four years."

"Y