It was not that he considered himself bound in any way to Marjorie; he certainly was not in a position to consider such a thing, even if the girl herself were willing; but he hated to have her hear through a third person that he had been spending an evening with another girl, after their little misunderstanding. She had always known that he was not the sort of man to go about much with a number of girls, for the simple reason that he hated to waste time with persons for whom he did not sincerely care. With the exception of Marjorie Wilkinson, he seldom paid any attention to the members of the opposite sex, in order that he might give all the more time to his work. In the last year John Hadley had made rapid progress. Entering the company as a “man of all jobs,” he had steadily climbed his way up, until now, as an expert on radio outfits, he was often sent to inspect or install some of the larger, more expensive ones. The expansion of the plant, due to the increased demand for this new modern invention, had created a splendid opportunity for the ambitious young man to rise; and he had been one of the first among the company’s employes to benefit by it. Although he regretted the circumstances under which he had seen Jack Wilkinson, he did not regret the growing friendship between himself and Dorothy Snyder. When he visited his mother on the following week-end, and found the girl happily going about her work, she seemed more friendly than before, more like a normal human-being. There was something very appealing about her blue eyes, with the dark shadows under them, and her wistful way of keeping the conversation away from herself. Her voice, her manner, her very walk, proclaimed her well-bred; her gratitude to his mother was pleasant to see. John watched her as she moved about the house or sat in the living room with her fancy-work, so unobtrusive in her quiet way; and he wished that he might do something to help her, to take her out of her loneliness, just as his mother had helped her. Dorothy would be busy all of Saturday afternoon and evening; but John succeeded in engaging her time for himself on Sunday afternoon, and he went to bed pleased with the turn affairs had taken. If the girl did not actually like him, at least she did not dislike him, and the prospect of her companionship at the end of each week was something to look forward to. Soon after dinner the next day the couple set out for the beach. The sky was a deep blue, and there was a delightful sea-breeze; the water was just rough enough to be pretty. The quiet of the Sunday afternoon, interrupted only by the monotonous breaking of the waves near the shore, seemed very restful to Dorothy. She sighed peacefully. John had resolved, if possible, to make the girl talk about herself. It would not only be interesting, but it would serve to keep his own thoughts away from Marjorie. But he realized that he must be very tactful.