"Do I look so now?" she laughed at him. "You shouldn't interrupt," he reproved her; "it isn't polite.--She doesn't know what is the matter with her, but I do." "What is the matter, Billy?" Huntington inquired seriously. "If I knew, perhaps I could help her." "Of course you could; that's why I'm telling you. She's in love with me and she doesn't know it." "By Jove!" Huntington exclaimed, looking at Merry's beaming face as she walked beside him, and then at the serious features of the boy on the other side. "I'm afraid I can't help, after all." "Yes, you can," Billy insisted confidently. "Merry will believe anything you tell her. Now if I go to war and get shot up she will realize her destiny, and will come to the hospital over there somewhere and be a Red Cross nurse, and fix me all up. Then we'll be married,--unless my wound is fatal and I die," he added, gulping down the pathos which this painful picture stirred within himself. "I can't stay with you, Billy, if you harrow up my feelings like this," Huntington declared. "It isn't fair to take advantage of your sympathetic old uncle." "He's just talking in bunches, Mr. Huntington," Philip said disgustedly. "You mustn't mind what he says. His mouth is full of mush all the time now. I'm sick of it!" "How about my feelings, Billy?" Merry demanded. "Have you no pity for me?" "Why should I?" he retorted. "It's all your fault.--Uncle Monty, wouldn't you like to have Merry in the family?" "I certainly would," was the frank response spoken with a sincerity which gave the boy unbounded encouragement. "Now you've said something!" Billy exclaimed and he turned to Merry with a gesture of finality! "I want you in the family, Uncle Monty wants you, Phil wants me for a brother-in-law--" "I'm not so sure," Philip interrupted. "Oh, yes, he does," Billy continued unabashed.--"So it's up to you. Will you make us all happy, or will you send me to meet my fate amid the horrors of war?" "That'll be about all of that," Philip said, scowling. "We came out here to talk war and not nonsense. I won't stand for it!" "We mustn't get these two great questions confused, Billy," Huntington said soothingly. "I have something to tell you later which may solve one of them, and we should approach the other with a calm and judicial mind. I haven't any right to advise you, Philip, for your mother and father probably have definite ideas which must be respected; but if a way could be found for Billy to have some of the experiences over there without running too much danger, I should be inclined to throw my influence in favor of his going." "Hurrah!" Billy cried. "That is all I could possibly expect, Mr. Huntington," Philip acknowledged. "If Billy is allowed to go, I'm sure Mother and Dad will consent." "Very good. I promise you to look into it carefully, and Billy will keep you posted as to the result." "What's the other solution?" Billy asked suspiciously.