the fashionable societies were discussed at length but no allusion was made to the kind of entertainment given by such clubs as the well known gentlemen had no doubt the had seen that identical thing in his time but it was not the subject for discussion between a man and the father of one who might some day be his wife for the young new still considered miss as among the possibilities that the future had in store for him and miss i hope she is as well as usual he inquired when a chance came to make the allusion not quite responded the the exhibition at the opera house was a little too much for her i fear she has not been used of late to being out much at night it is nothing serious i si miss giddy he added perceiving the blank look of his companion nothing to cause any alarm simply a little weariness a mere warning to us to see that such an occurrence does not happen too frequently after a talk on this matter which lasted five or ten minutes came to inquire what time his employer would dine the said to that he took his meals at a in another part of the city and while it was undoubtedly inconvenient he would be obliged to ask him to accompany him there learning that the hour was of no consequence to his guest the told his to send word to miss may when returned he said miss would be ready for the carriage at half past seven it was in fact rather earlier when the s daughter made her appearance equipped for her ride she bowed sweetly to mr and took the hand which he held out to her but she addressed most of her conversation to her father as became a modest maiden and only spoke to the other gentleman after her first greeting when he made a remark which rendered a reply necessary the dinner was a very good one a fact which noticed even with all the other things that he had on his mind he had been dining mostly at another and experienced a tinge of regret that he had not been to this place instead when the meal was finished the said he was sorry to announce that he had an engagement which would his going away for an hour or so would mr kindly escort miss may to the hotel and await his return in the carriage there were temptations but the a of a fi young man them all he could have reached across to the other seat and taken a little hand in his that lay so in her lap he could have said some very things about her appearance for in spite of her was wonderfully beautiful that evening instead he spoke of the weather and of the city and of the new house that she was so soon to occupy in new york and she answered him as if they were the merest acquaintances and as if mr david had not said to both of them that they would make the greatest mistake in their lives if either married any one else once in the private parlor the occupied at the royal they were again alone the young man found as has many another before him that it was exceedingly difficult to talk for an hour with a pretty girl and not say anything he fell into compliments that he would fain have avoided expressed a greater solicitude for her health than any one but a brother or a lover would have been justified in showing evinced an interest in her likes and in her plans so far as she had any and in herself generally which would have another woman into supposing that he intended to ask her to name the day before he left the room nevertheless he did not quite commit himself had an almost irrepressible desire to say a number of things that he knew it would be sheer folly to utter what would be the use for instance in confiding to this creature in thought as she was in act that he feared himself morally unfit to mate with one so pure and good and that was exactly what he wanted her to know miss giddy he wanted her to realize that he was far from ideal of what a man ought to be and see whether with this information to influence her she would still act as she had done toward him was in a he wanted to know these things and yet he did not want her to know them he wished to ascertain what she would do if she suspected the guilty things he had done to see what she would say in case she ever found them out as he had told the he believed marriage would not cure him of his bad habits he had no confidence that he had enough to conceal everything from a wife what would this girl do if he into her room at six in the morning fresh from a gay party including perhaps people of both sexes when returned the attitude in which the young people were found to him that nothing special had passed between ascertained that mr intended to remain two or three days more in the city and promised to call again before he left town well my dear asked the father anxiously when he was alone with his child she shook her head in a way that was quite as eloquent as words he seemed very agreeable though sighed the she bowed in acknowledgment that she with him he will come home in the summer continued mr and during the watering place season all will be arranged the girl s fair brow contracted with wrinkles a devil of a mess if we had never begun this she said in a low tone i would 