He was so accustomed to his good luck that he seldom gave a thought to it. It simply seemed to him that he would go on that way forever. Yet, to-day, for a wonder, he had been a little thoughtfully reviewing the events of the past six months. "It was very kind in Uncle John to leave things so comfortable for me," he said to himself. "I thought his wife would influence him against me so much that he wouldn't have left me a penny. If he hadn't, what the deuce should I have done?" He paused a moment, in comical amusement, to survey the situation; but the idea was too stupendous. He could not even fancy himself the victim of adversity, much less tell what he would have done in that case. He laughed at it after a moment. "I cannot even imagine it," he thought. "Poor little Xenie, how hard it went with her to be foiled in her revenge, as she called it. How she must have loved me to have turned against me so when I gave her up! Who would have believed that we two should ever hate each other with such a deadly hate?" Something like a smothered sigh went upward with the blue cigar smoke, and just then a footstep crossed the threshold, and a man's voice said, lightly: "Halloo, Doctor Templeton; enjoying yourself, as usual." "Halloo, Doctor Shirley," returned Templeton, with a lazy nod at the new-comer. "Have a smoke?" "I don't care if I do," said the doctor, throwing himself down in an easy-chair opposite the speaker, and lighting a weed. "How deuced comfortable you look, my boy!" "Feel that way," lisped Templeton, in a lazy tone. "Ah! I don't think you would feel so devil-may-care if you knew all that I know, old boy," laughed the doctor, significantly. The old doctor was very well known at the club as a gossip, so Templeton only laughed carelessly as he said: "What's the matter, doctor? Any of my sweethearts sick or dead?" "Not that I know of," said Doctor Shirley. "However, Templeton, if any of your sweethearts has money, take my advice, young fellow, and make up to her without delay." Howard Templeton laughed at the doctor's sage advice. "Thanks," he said, "but I do very well as I am, doctor. I don't care to become a subject for petticoat government, yet." "Yet things looked that way two years ago," said Doctor Shirley, maliciously, for Templeton's ardent devotion to Mrs. Egerton's lovely _debutante_ at that time had been no secret in society. Templeton's blonde face flushed a dark red all over, yet he laughed carelessly. "Oh, yes, I had the fever," he said. "However, its severity then precludes the danger of ever having a second attack. How little I dreamed that she would be my aunt." "Or your _bete noire_," said the doctor. "Hardly that," said Templeton, composedly, as he knocked the ashes from the end of his cigar. "True, she has taken a slice of my fortune away, but then there's yet enough to butter my bread." "There may not be much longer," said Doctor Shirley, meaningly.