"Success for me means something quite different," Alec explained. "It lies in influencing the trend of public opinion." "But the public's hopelessly stupid! It seems to me rather foolish to spend your time trying to influence hopelessly stupid people." Jeremy chuckled. He did not see how Alec was going to get out of that. "I spoke of the bulk. There is a small intelligent minority on whom one can rely." "If you can rely on them already, why do they want influencing?" objected Anna. "On whom one can rely for a hearing and for intelligent appreciation, Miss Selford." "Then the fewer people who care what you say, the more successful you really are?" "That's hardly the way I should put it----" "No, I don't suppose you would," interrupted Anna. "But it comes to that, doesn't it, Jeremy?" "Of course it does," agreed Jeremy. "The fact is, writing about things is all rot. Go and do something--something practical." Dyeing was doing something practical. "Oh, yes, go into business, of course, and get rich by cheating. Trading's only another name for cheating." "Well, you're right there for once," said Anna. "Right?" cried Jeremy fiercely. "Well, then, why isn't it cheating when he" (he pointed scornfully at Alec) "charges a ha'penny for his beastly opinion about something?" "Oh, it's not for me to say! You must ask Mr. Turner that." In fact the discussions were of a most spirited order, since everybody was always quite wrong, and each in turn could be rapidly and ignominiously refuted, the other two uniting in a warm but transient alliance to that end. This young and breezy society was good for Selford and for his wife too. It gave them something to think about, and did not leave each so much time to consider the unreasonableness of the other. Tiffs became less frequent, the false sentimentalism of their reconciliations was less in demand; and as they watched Anna's deftness and brightness, they began to ask whether they had been as proud of her as they ought to be. "She's got brains, that girl of ours," said Selford, nodding his head complacently. "And a taking manner, don't you think, Dick?" "Those boys find her attractive, or it looks like it, anyhow!" "Of course she's not exactly pretty, but I do think she's rather distinguished somehow." "Your daughter would be sure to be that, my dear Janet," he remarked gallantly. "No, I really think she's more like you," insisted Janet amiably. "I must make an effort" (Mrs. Selford was fond of that phrase) "and take her out into society more. I don't think we're quite giving her her chance." "Ah, you've begun to think of match-making!" he cried in playful reproof. But it pleased him highly to think that he had, after all, an attractive daughter. He took much more notice of her than he had been used to take, and Mrs. Selford eyed her with critical affection. Decidedly the increase of human interest, as opposed to artistic and canine, was a good influence in the Selford household.