“Why Dick and Mr. Dorlin, of course.” “I didn’t know they’d quarrelled,” said John. “Dick has seemed pretty cheerful, and she hasn’t said anything--” “Said anything! She didn’t need to say anything. They quarrelled Wednesday evening, and he didn’t come around all the rest of the week. And yesterday they were still at it. I could tell, because they were both so glad to see us when we came in.” “They’ve certainly made up all right now--” He stopped as the two young people entered the library. The instant of silence told them that they had been the subjects of the conversation they had interrupted, and Dick blushed, first in embarrassment and then in vexation over having blushed. Jack returned the Bagsburys’ greeting nervously. He was asking himself why he would be such an ass as to try to do things theatrically. He ought to have told John down at the office, or written him a note. Well, there was nothing to do now but see the thing through. Then suddenly he read in Alice’s expectant look and in John’s quizzical smile, and last of all in Dick’s flushed face, the interpretation that the Banker and his wife were putting upon this little scene. That fairly scattered him. “I came around to tell you--” he began wildly--“to say that we--that is, Dick and I have--” “We bought the stock in the bank to-day--what Mr. Cartwright and Mr. Meredith bought of Mr. Sponley.” Dick spoke quickly, but not an instant too soon; another second and John would have been giving them his blessing. At her words, however, he dropped back into his chair and looked blankly from her to Jack and back to her again. “_You_ did!” he exclaimed; then after a moment, “you _did_!” and then in spite of his best attempt to keep a straight face he began to laugh. “I beg your pardon,” he said, when he had his voice under control again. “I was--surprised. Tell me about it, please. How did you happen to do it?” Without the smallest misgiving--for he attributed John’s laughter to the ridiculous mistake he had so nearly made--Jack told his tale. He said nothing about the motive which had led him and Dick to buy the stock, but he dwelt with a good deal of humor on the perplexities into which his ignorance of business had led him in the course of the negotiations. He could afford to laugh at them because he and Dick had succeeded, in spite of all, in effecting a sale of a large part of their own securities and, in the teeth of opposition, in buying the Cartwright-Meredith stock. They had spent the day profitably and had thoroughly enjoyed it. The encounter with the broker was what pleased Jack particularly.