."

"Thank you, James; and in the mean time it will be prudent for you to
keep your information to yourself."

"Yes, sir; I'll do that, sir. Any one with a Tammany Hall education
knows how to do that, sir."

Riley was anxiously awaiting the close of the interview, and eagerly
accompanied his son to the front door. Before he opened it, the old man
turned inquiringly.

"Ain't ye goin' ter tell me phwat it's all about, Jimmie?"

"It's too delicate a situation to discuss with the servants," James
replied, freezingly. "Me and Mr. Gorham understands each other, that's
all."

Riley gazed with still greater admiration at the straight figure which
passed by him, out of the house, and up the gravel walk to the street.

"Jimmie's th' great man," he muttered to himself as he closed the
door--"he's th' great man, mixin' wid men like Misther Robert; but he
hadn't oughter wear that sorry rag an' th' ravens, wid me, his only
livin' relation, still livin'."

The bell rang almost immediately, and Riley, certain that James had
returned, hastened to throw the door open. As he did so, he discovered
Allen Sanford.

"Who's that undertaker person?" Allen demanded.

Riley straightened perceptibly. "'Tis me son James, Misther Sanford, an'
it's th' great man he is, an' no undertaker."

"I beg your pardon, Riley," Allen laughed, noting the old man's injured
dignity. "Of course I should have known; but I may want to employ an
undertaker soon, so I suppose I had it on my mind."

"Ain't ye falin' well, Misther Allen?" Riley asked, anxiously.

"Oh, I don't want him for myself," Allen laughed again. "Is Miss Alice
in?"

"How do I know 'til she tells me, sor?"

"All right; you'll have to ask her then, won't you? If she is in, tell
her that I've called to have tea with her."

Alice was in particularly high spirits. She had digested Covington's
proposal, and found that she enjoyed it. She was still waiting for a
chance to discuss it with Eleanor and her father, but she experienced an
unexpected amount of pleasure in thinking it over by herself. She had
already decided that she would take plenty of time before she gave her
answer. The sensation was so exhilarating that she was unwilling to
shorten its duration. It was all so incredible that she--little
she--should have attracted a man of Mr. Covington's calibre to the
extent that he should actually want to marry her! And now Allen had
called, giving her an outlet for this unusual buoya