new york blame art so much as your father does and i don t believe he would blame it if he knew we could have so much of it for twelve dollars father secretly it as much as i do said the niece only he likes to talk just then mr entered he was dressed in half mourning for his father indeed he had dressed himself with exceeding care being desirous he frankly admitted to himself of making an impression he bowed graciously and took s extended hand which as she offered it he held a moment have you decided he asked they had explained when they left in the morning that they should want only one room and he inferred that they would require board he received a dreadful shock but made up his mind that the charming niece would prove the a i more charming on closer acquaintance and he deliberately decided to keep both the gentle new under his roof for a time if he could the more he thought of the plan the more interesting the situation became to him he fairly dreaded at last lest they should find their way into a remote in some cheap quarter of the city where it would be quite impossible for him to follow them he gravely announced to the astonished maid that he had determined to let out the rooms to the ladies who he pretended for her benefit were old acquaintances when they were announced he was scarcely able to conceal his pleasure mr had fallen in love we have decided to take one room said if we can agree upon the price and we wish to know the price of board stories of new york we shan t want much to eat put in miss with a nervous admirably concealed a smile his long aided him a good deal in doing this he was still standing and he put his hand to his lips i think we shall agree very easily upon the price he said miss again a little we thought twelve dollars � room and board she said leaving the sentence half finished while looked up at him my dear ladies i should not think of charging more than ten you are strangers in the city and i would not impose upon you for the world it happens that this is the dull season so we thought said miss and board and lodging ought to come a little cheaper precisely the maid will show you your sleeping room � and of course the a i entire house is at your service i hope you will find everything to your comfort i am very anxious to please he laughed a little gave him a grateful but at the same time a rather glance he felt at once that in carrying out his little he had placed himself deliberately upon a questionable footing with the beautiful girl he hoped however to redeem himself by her with his knowledge of the pursuit which he accurately judged had brought the ladies to the city had at one time done a little painting himself he had dreamed dreams as a young man which and the stern business atmosphere of the city had choked off as he looked down upon the girl s sweet gray eyes a vision of this youthful period came back to him twenty two and thirty two have this in common that the latter age is not too stories of new york far away to quite despise the younger enthusiasm at thirty two still believed in himself don t you know iii several days passed during which the ladies settled themselves very readily in their new surroundings they were very preferring to rise at an hour which to was something of he studied their habits with a view to to them as far as possible but found that he could not bring himself to give up his nine o clock and so went to his club leaving orders that the ladies should be at the earliest hour they might choose he found that they had discovered central park and came to make it a habit to stroll with them of a morning upon the and around the lakes central park a i i was a novelty to him except as seen from horseback or a four in hand and it really seemed very beautiful those summer mornings � he was really surprised don t you know he wondered that nice people did not use the park more � as they did park in london as the days went on he filled his house with flowers turned the second floor into an immense for sat about and watched her encouraged her he forgot forgot his he had strangely ceased to be bored he was happy in new york in dick told his friends at that was probably private treatment for softening of the brain which theory in fact they deemed sufficiently complimentary as for his mother and sisters in europe � why pray should he inform them of his little joke stories of new york worked away at her when the light was during the afternoon in the evening after dinner the ladies became inclined it was then that they allowed to smoke in the and talk art with indeed he found it very difficult to talk anything else with the shy new england about art � with a big a � she was there seemed to be in her soul a strange hunger for everything and richly beautiful devoted himself to studying her he became strangely interested in east village where he gathered the hon b price her father was a very distinguished republican lawyer and he drew aunt out concerning her church her minister her fear of the her fondness for cats her secret in art once in a while a i they read him a letter from the hon in which he could see 