he thinks it best to give me a chance this time as i shall probably have to go often hereafter and i might as well satisfy my curiosity first as last isn t it delightful it was not till he had finished these exclamations that saw the deep shadow on his father s their marriage bond then it struck him all at once that he had been very selfish and he proceeded without delay to my dear father he began i ought to have thought i am very sorry no don t say that interposed mr it will it is true be hard for me to part with you for so long and perhaps in my state of health forgive me i will not go cried on the contrary you must was the dignified reply it is not for the old to set up their against the best interests of the young i have lived my life and what there is left is of but little value the son tried to protest but was not allowed to speak i want to see two things arranged before i go and they both concern you one of them looks fair it is that of your business connections the other as you will undoubtedly guess is your marriage who had been growing pale turned red at the concluding words but he only bowed politely your partners tell me that you are a business man by instinct pursued mr after a momentary pause they prove their high opinion of you by the commission of which you have just told me to go through this life a man needs a suitable income and a good wife i am certain that you will have both bowed again his father s solicitude his perfect self impressed him deeply when are you to sail asked mr in about five weeks the father looked thoughtful it should be announced before you go he said their marriage to what do you refer asked the son slightly startled your engagement to miss there was great uneasiness in s manner which he strove in vain to conceal you know at least you understand father he murmured that no word has ever passed between and myself on the subject the elder man raised himself in his chair quite proper he commented with evident satisfaction there was no need of when both of you knew what was to come i have expressed my intentions to you a hundred times and mrs has done the same to you are sensible young folks who know what is good for yourselves all it wants now is a few sentences from you to her a dozen words in reply and then a paragraph in the society papers you can go over to call on her to day mention that you are going abroad for how long do you think four or five months four or five months repeated mr and suggest that this seems a proper time to announce your intentions to the world bit his lips nervously isn t that hurrying things a little he asked a man has to get up to that point rather gradually i should suppose i ve got to ask her if she ll marry me haven t i before i suggest announcing our engagement mr moved about impatiently in his chair gracious he exclaimed with signs of coming temper have i at my age got to instruct a boy how to approach a girl in a matter of this kind nothing is more simple just step in and have a little talk tell her their marriage bond you are going away say you want her for your wife and when she answers that she you explain why it is best to make the public statement at once to keep others from her during your absence it isn t an affair of more than ten minutes the whole thing though not at all sure that he could arrange these momentous details in such a short space of time was not ready to enter into an argument with hia parent which would be he foresaw to no purpose so he merely answered very well i ll be hanged if you seem enthusiastic over it said mr speaking now with a smile that s a pretty fine bundle of goods for a fellow to get if you did but know it always reminds me of a dish of and cream by boy you ought to thank me for saving it up for you some other chap might have got his hands on it by this time except for my vigilance the young man tried to laugh if for nothing else to please the father he loved so much but the of and cream struck him vividly that was it and cream sweet fresh ripe and cold an hour later thinking it best to have the experience over he was walking across the fields to his neighbor s house his father s land stretched for a goodly distance over the country and that of the covered as great a space immediately beyond it when the city should grow out in this direction as the owners had often said there would be a fortune in this real estate not for them they would be numbered with the silent majority but for their children who were to be united with the land as he approached the residence saw a fair face at one of the windows and the waving of a handkerchief in welcome then its possessor their marriage bond with an indication that she would meet him at the door there was nothing surprising in this freedom as babies they had dug up the walks and pulled each other in little carts as boy and girl they had gone together to the same school there had never been the least between them why should there be any now i wonder if you can guess what i 