'I may tell him I have an offer of twelve thousand?' said the governor, who was badly in want of money. 'Certainly, sir. If you will first say three words to make sure Mr. Charteris shall not get ahead of me.' 'Well, well!' said the governor—'here come people, Miss Kennedy,—he shall not get ahead of you. At any rate, I'll settle nothing with him without letting you know. He can't outbid you— you're pretty safe. Do I understand that you want this affair kept private, between you and me?' 'O yes, sir!' cried Hazel softly,—'it is to be _terribly_ private. And if you will only let women vote, Gov. Powder, I will certainly vote for you.—Mr. Falkirk, if you knew how long Gov. Powder has been impatient for you, you would be grieved to have left him so long with me!'—And Miss Kennedy flitted off, with eyes in a sparkle that was dangerous to come near. I think Gov. Powder's eyes sparkled a little too, poor man; they had grown a little dull with looking so long into ways and means. And after this little bit of business, the pleasure of the day set in with a flood tide. You have all seen such days. Nature had laid out a wonderful entertainment, to begin with; and put no hindrances in the way; and it appeared that every creature came with spirits and hopes on tiptoe. Dresses were something captivating, so much attention and invention had been exercised upon them. And the facilities for flirtations which the scene and the sport afforded, were most picturesque. The parties in the trees could display their agility; the parties on the ground could show their costumes in charming attitudes. For a time the care of the hostess was needed in assigning the people to their proper posts of usefulness or pleasure; but when all were come and all was in train, the thing would run itself, and Wych Hazel became as free as anybody else. 'Look here,' cried Josephine Powder, 'I've been waiting all day to speak to you. Nobody wants you now, Hazel; come here and sit down. I'm in awful trouble.' Wych Hazel sat down and pulled off her gloves, and then the glittering fingers went diving into her pocket after chestnuts. 'Well?' she said,—'what now? There is a big one—try that.' 'I used to like chestnuts once,' said Josephine looking at it. 'I wonder if there'll be fun in anything ever any more for me?' 'Depends a good deal upon where you look for it,' said Miss Kennedy, biting her nut. 'Are you playing pendulum still, for pity's sake?' 'Pendulum? No. I'm fixed. I've accepted John Charteris.' 'Have you!' said Hazel, thinking that her business interview had been just in time. 'How much down, Josephine? and how much on bond and mortgage?' 'What do you mean?' 'The trouble is, you can never foreclose,' said Hazel. 'Are the diamonds satisfactory?'