The Compleat Bachelor

neat little dinner. Carrie never disdains this hour of the animal, at whatever table fortune shall place her; and when she d

ffair, that did not necessitate rising from a comfortable seat; while my sister purred in soft content. I moved the

coffee, "I think-we will not grace the theatre this e

t getting up. It was a wet n

save me a sovereign, unless you succeed in coaxing it out of m

really I d

coffee, Caroline,-I'm really as poor as Hooley. Ther

e and be nice all the evening.

mething. Carrie's writing is her one affectation, with whic

mittently, that is to say, when there were no calls to receive or to be made, when she could find nobody to take her to a theatre or a garden-party, when there w

lied, "but bring a dictionary as w

you,

ounced that she was going to spend the evening with me in m

my desk and settled herself with many quirks and little graces before the recast masterpiece. I gravely asked her permission to smoke, and she, smil

er evening frock and pretty airs. She was an excellent housekeeper, and kept my half of our little flat almost as dainty as her own. We got along

itatively, started on a fresh

ter dinner, Rol, when the

her curiousl

"I don't mean-I mean, w

what do they reall

to put it i

s go instinctively to their hair, to feel how they have looked. If there is a mirror handy they flock to it. They then sit down, look w

man here, who is to talk after dinner. He's in love with a girl he'

e Carrie! Should I be the one to d

mused, but I repl

t would depend a good deal on the ma

pt. "That is, he has not seen any active service, but he's simply t

interested. "A car

He's very good, and clever, and noble. He's supposed to be dining at h

e young soldier, I would n

hair?"

ptly. "That is-I don't kno

ve. She had a secret which pricked her conscience. She was going to be nice to me for the time remaining. I might have known she didn't visit Mrs. Lor

t my

had evidently not noticed my

" I replied, "

rs were announced. In came Loring Chatterton, and the young brother-in-

sly from my two guests, while Carrie rose, putting

ur writing, Miss Butterfield

replied. "As a matter of fact I

rather stuck when you came in. Perhaps we

d, do you know, that I haven't much of a head

-" bega

ever, and-let me see-was he noble, Carrie? Yes, I believe he was noble, and-a brilliant talker"-(

dare to protest for fear of doing so herself. She had a secret-

ged, do you know, if I know what he'd say. He'd talk a lot of piffle, wouldn't he-oh, but

ar Loring; I wanted to hear the brilli

r," I said, "and his eloqu

mething-pretty and all that, you know-and he'd row any chap who said she

more credit than I thought. I laughe

as he could say, unless he were an ass. I can't

ou know, Butterfield. You're deuced hard on young chaps; you g

tten, you know. I was an old fossil, or something. But I had a sister, deuced nice

? This was soon evident from his conciliatory manner toward me. No one ever goes ou

garden-party, or something. There'll be lots of people of your sort"-(my sort!)-"coming-clever, and all that, you know; I thought you might care to come. I'

ed to

ol," she said. "I like

ght a

le of-er-my sort, much. But if Carrie cares to go, I'll look a

sed that garden-par