n from gazing at her with a quizzical look in
his eyes which seemed to annoy her excessively. The Also Ran was
omnipresent, and was instant in season, out of season. But instead of
arousing Artie's jealousy, this seemed only to amuse him.

Finally the cause of Artie's visits developed. He blurted it out to
me one day with the red face of a shamed schoolboy.

"Faith, I wish you'd do me the favour to ask Cary Farquhar here some
evening, and let me know! I've been going there till I'm ashamed to
face the butler, but I never can see her alone, and the last two times
she has sent down her excuses, and wouldn't see me at all."

I could have squealed for joy, but, mindful of Cary's dignity, I said:

"I don't believe she'd come, Artie. I'm afraid--"

"Afraid that she'd suspect that I would be here too? I don't believe
I've made it as plain as that!" he interrupted.

"Do you mean to say that you are really and truly--?"

"I mean just that," he said, with a new earnestness in his manner, that
I never had noted before.

"Oh, Artie!" I cried. "I'm _so_ glad! But what if she's--"

"Don't say it! It makes me cold all over to think of it. That's why I
want you to ask her here. I've _got_ to see her. Why, Faith,
she's--really, Faith, she's the _only_ girl in the world, now _isn't_
she?"

"So I've thought for years!" I cried, warmly.

"Talk about love being instantaneous," said Artie, plunging his hands
into his pockets, and striding up and down. "I've loved her and loved
her _hard_ ever since she explained what love meant to her that night
at your dinner. Why, if I could get her to love _me_ that way, I'd be
richer than John D! But shucks! She never will! What am _I_, I'd
like to know, to expect such a miracle?"

"You're very nice!" I stuttered, in my haste, "and just the man for
her, both Aubrey and I think, but I'll tell you where the trouble is.
She thinks you belong to Flora."

"Never!" replied Artie, vehemently. "I never _thought_ of marrying
Flora. She--well, she sort of appealed to me--you know how! She
wanted me to help her to understand golf. She said it made her feel so
out of it not to know what people were talking about who played the
game--you know she was a poke at college, and didn't go in for
athletics at all. Well, you can understand it when you look at her.
_She_ couldn't get into a sweater and a short skirt and play
basket-ball, now could she? She'd be wanting some man always ab