ding-presents,--all which lend themselves to the decoration of a
room which will look as if people lived in it."

"If you put bric-a-brac in it people will call it a parlour in spite of
you," said the Angel.

"Not at all. It will have one distinguishing feature which will
effectually prevent the discriminating from making that mistake. I
intend to make the clock on the mantel _go_. That will settle matters."

"Of course."

"This room will lack the stiffness of a drawing-room and so invite
conversation, yet will be sufficiently dignified to prevent
familiarity. I shall endeavour to invest it with an invitation which
will practically say to your college friends, 'You may smoke here, but
you may not throw ashes on the floor.' Do you see my point?"

The Angel looked thoughtful.

"I hope it will work," he said.

"We can but try it. I am doing this because I wish our friends to meet
us together, and I don't approve of this separating men and women,--the
women remaining alone to gossip while the men go away to smoke. It is
too narrowing on us and too broadening on you."

"I like it,--in theory,--but some men are chimneys. They don't know
how to smoke when ladies are present."

"They will soon learn!" I declared, stoutly. "I shall be so attentive
to their comfort, so ready with an ash-tray, so eager to offer them the
last cigar in the jar (if I think they have smoked enough) that they
will notice my slightest cough."

Aubrey waxed enthusiastic.

"An evening spent in that room will be 'An Education in Polite
Smoking,' won't it?"

"And," I went on, "then when we are rich and want a truly handsome
drawingroom we can furnish it in pink silk and cupids with a light
heart, for behold, we will simply move all this comfort I have
described into a library, and the wear on the furniture will redeem it
from newness and give it the proper air of age and use. There is
nothing more vulgar to my mind than a perfectly new library. It
looks--well, you know!"

"It does," said the Angel, with conviction. "All of that!"

We discussed these theories in detail, made many corrections, and
finally went down to buy. But a handsome shop and money in my pocket
always excite me so that what little common sense I was born with
instantly departs, and I buy feverishly, mostly things I do not want
and could not use. So the Angel adopted a good, safe rule. When he
saw my eyes begin to glitter with a "I-must-have-that-or-die"
e