anything,' said I.

"'Of course not,' answered Mrs. Cheston.

"It is not surprising that after this conversation I took a great
interest in Margaret Temple; and when she called the next morning I had
a long and undisturbed talk with her, Mrs. Cheston being out. I am very
fond of analyzing human character, and I often do it while I am riding
in the street-cars; and it was not long before I had made up my mind as
to what sort of woman Margaret Temple was. I set her down as what may be
called a balanced person. In fact, I thought at the time she was a
little too well balanced; if some of her characteristics had been a
little more pronounced I think she would have been more interesting. But
I liked her very much, and I remember I was almost as well pleased when
she was talking to me as when she was listening, and I am sure there
are very few persons, men or women, of whom I can say this."

Here a smile came upon the faces of the company, but they were too
polite to make any comment on what had called forth the smile. The
Master of the House asked permission to light a cigar, and the Old
Professor, who never smoked, remarked: "There is deep philosophy in all
this."

"I don't know about the philosophy," said the Next Neighbor, "but it is
absolute truth. Well, after a time I began to wish that Miss Temple
lived near our home, because she would be such an admirable person for a
friend and neighbor. Then, suddenly, without any warning, there flashed
through me the strangest feeling I ever had in my life. I must have
turned pale, for Miss Temple asked me if I did not feel ill. I soon
recovered from the effects of this strange feeling, and went on talking;
but I was very glad when Mrs. Cheston came home, and took the
conversation out of my hands.

"For two or three days after this my mind was very much troubled, and
Bernard thought that the air of that part of the country did not agree
with me, and that we ought to go to the sea-shore. But this I positively
refused to consider. There could be no sea-shore for me until a good
many things had been settled. It was at this time that I first began to
think that we cannot grow up fresh and green and blossom undisturbed,
and that we must consider untimely cows coming along.

"To make the state of my mind clearly understood, I must say that there
is an hereditary disease in my family. I had never thought anything
about it, for there had been no reason why I should; but now I did
t