ery likely I'll take him to see Peter
Morrison's house and possibly I'll ask him and Peter to dinner. He is
a San Francisco architect from the firm where Marian takes her lessons,
and it's business about Peter's house. I was surprised, that's all."

Then Linda turned and laid a hand on each of Katy's hairy red arms.

"Katherine O'Donovan, old dear," she said, "if we do come back for
dinner, concentrate on Mr. Snow and study him. Scrutinize, Katy! It's
a bully word. Scrutinize closely. To add one more to our long lists of
secrets, here's another. He's the man I told you about who has asked
Marian to marry him, and Marian has refused him probably because she
prefers somebody nearer home."

Then Linda felt the tensing of every muscle in Katy's body. She saw the
lift of her head, the incredulous, resentful look in her eyes. There was
frank hostility in her tone.

"Well, who is there nearer home that Marian knows?" she demanded
belligerently.

"Well, now, who would there be?" retorted Linda.

"Ye ain't manin' John Gilman?" asked Katy.

"No," said Linda, "I am not meaning John Gilman. You should know Marian
well enough to know that."

"Well, ye ought to know yourself well enough to know that they ain't
anybody else around these diggin's that Marian Thorne's going to get,"
said Katy.

"I imagine Marian will get pretty much whom she wants," said Linda
laughingly. "In your heart, Katy, you know that Marian need not have
lost John Gilman if she had not deliberately let him go. If she had been
willing to meet Eileen on her own ground and to play the game with
her, it wouldn't have happened. Marian has more brains in a minute than
Eileen has in a month."

When Linda drew back the portiere and stepped into the living room
Eugene Snow rose to meet her. What either of them expected it might
be difficult to explain. Knowing so little of each other, it is very
possible that they had no visualizations. What Snow saw was what
everyone saw who looked at Linda--a girl arrestingly unusual. With
Linda lay the advantage by far, since she had Marian's letters for a
background. What she saw was a tall man, slender, and about him there
was to Linda a strong appeal. As she looked into his eyes, she could
feel the double hurt that Fate had dealt him. She thought she could
fathom the fineness in his nature that had led him to made home-building
his chosen occupation. Instantly she liked him. With only one look deep
into his eyes she was