of clothes!"

"Oh, she says there's a sewing woman always in the house," Margaret
said, almost embarrassed by the still-unfolding advantages of the
proposition. "I can have her do whatever's left over." Her father
lowered his paper to give her a shrewd glance.

"I suppose somebody knows something about this Mrs. Carr-Boldt,
Mother?" asked he. "She's all right, I suppose?"

"Oh, Dad, her name's always in the papers," Julie burst out; and the
mother smiled as she said, "We'll be pretty sure of everything before
we let our Mark go!" Later, when the children had been dismissed, and
he himself was going, rather stiffly, toward the stairs, Mr. Paget
again voiced a mild doubt.

"There was a perfectly good reason for her hurry, I suppose? Old
secretary deserted--got married--? She had good reason for wanting
Mark in all this hurry?"

Mrs. Paget and her daughters had settled about the fire for an hour's
delicious discussion, but she interrupted it to say soothingly, "It
was her cousin, Dad, who's going to be married, and she's been trying
to get hold of just the right person--she says she's fearfully
behindhand--"

"Well, you know best," said Mr. Paget, departing a little
discontentedly.

Left to the dying fire, the others talked, yawned, made a pretence of