me to go. There is only one Peter. You will recognize
that the instant you meet him."

"I am altogether willing to take your word for it," said Mr. Snow.

"And there is one thing about this disagreeable business," said Linda.
"It was not Peter's coat that had the plan in it. He knew nothing about
it. He has had his full service of stiff war work, and he has been
knocking around big cities in newspaper work, and now he has come home
to Lilac Valley to 'set up his rest,' as in the hymn book, you know. He
built his garage first and he is living in it because he so loves this
house of his that he has to be present to watch it grow in minute
detail. Once on a time I saw a great wizard walking along the sidewalk,
and he looked exactly like any man. He might have been you so far as
anything different from other men in his appearance w as concerned."

Linda cut down the Bear Cat to its slowest speed.

"What is on my mind is this," she said. "I don't think Peter could quite
afford the amount of ground he has bought, and the house he is building.
I think possibly he is tying himself up in obligations. It may take him
two or three years to come even on it; but it is a prepossession with
him. Now can't you see that if we go to him and tell him this sordid,
underhand, unmanly tale, how his fine nature is going to be hurt,
how his big heart is going to be wrung, how his home-house that he is
building with such eager watchfulness will be a weighty Old Man of the
Sea clinging to his back? Do you think, Mr. Eugene Snow, that you're
enough of a wizard to examine this house and to satisfy yourself as to
whether it's an infringement of your plans or not, without letting Peter
know the things about it that would spoil it for him?"

Eugene Snow reached across and closed a hand over the one of Linda's
nearest him on the steering wheel.

"You very decent kid, you," he said appreciatively. "I certainly am
enough of a wizard to save your Peter man any disillusionment concerning
his dream house."

"Oh, but he is not my Peter man," said Linda. "We are only the best
friends in the world. Really and truly, if you can keep a secret, he's
Marian's."

"Is he?" asked Mr. Snow interestedly. And then he added very casually,
in the most offhand manner--he said it more to an orange orchard through
which they were passing than he said it to Linda--"I have very grave
doubts about that. I think there must be some slight complication that
will have to