“Of all questions,” I replied, “that is the one I am least fitted to answer. I have positive reverence for one who is capable of successfully making that variety of guess. I represent an extremely crude form of the prophet. When the sky is filled with extremely dark clouds I think that it _may_ rain. That is as far as I have ever been able to go.” “Well, I was wondering whether you had noticed any rather dark clouds in the Judge’s sky.” “I can’t say that I have. A woman has better sight for those things. She can see a cloud when it isn’t bigger than a woman’s hand.” Miss Rittingway smiled. “A prudent prophet,” she said, “always notices the direction of the wind, and avoids being misled by the youngest inhabitant.” “Should you say that the Judge’s general amiability indicated anything favorable to matrimony?” “No; never that in itself. General amiability in my judgment even may be taken as an opposing sign. It is particular amiability that counts.” “Hasn’t the Judge been particularly amiable to you?” I asked. “Nonsense. The Judge has talked somewhat to me because I am the most detached member of the party. The Judge is a judicious man. He enjoys going through the motions of being reckless with me because he recognizes me as safe. I am very safe.” “I suppose I should know what that means. It is something nice, I hope.” “It is a neutral quality. It hasn’t anything to do with niceness or the other thing so far as I can see.” “But if a person were safe _and_ nice that person would, I should say, be the sort of person with whom judges would like to be particularly amiable. That seems clear enough. But what is this safeness? How does it feel? Of course it isn’t complacence or anything of that sort.” “It might be, I suppose. Sometimes I resent it—being regarded as so safe. That might suggest that I am not complacent about it.” [Illustration]