"Spoken like an oracle!" exclaimed Edgeway with a careless laugh. "But, really, I am glad you will let me take you out, just once." Betty regarded him with a queer little smile. She rather liked this man with his completely boyish manners. There was an undercurrent of serious thought in him, which she could not always follow, but she felt sure that most of his flippancy was assumed, to hide sterner feelings. "You know I would love to go out with you many times, but I haven't the time," she said to him, kindly. "Time! You have twenty-four hours in the day--the same as anyone. You mean you prefer to use your time differently?" he asked with a semicomic expression. "Exactly!" she responded, laughing. "I would not be such a spendthrift with the hours as you!" "All a matter of opinion. Methinks you are wasting the precious days of your youth, fussing over religion with people who can't possibly appreciate you, while here I am, languishing for attention!" He regarded her in mock misery, as she fastened her coat. "If they needed my attention as little as you do, I might not give them my time," she returned gravely. "O, I would love to see you make some use of your life!" "Well, I like that!" he exclaimed, and he opened the door for her to pass out. He was in the habit of accompanying her as far as their way lay together. "Here am I going to a hard day's work, and you talk to me about using my life," he added ruefully. "Yes, but you work for the sole purpose of getting money to spend in the pursuit of pleasure." "How horribly frank you are!" he said good-humouredly. "Well, do you know what might make me change into the most active 'Mormon?'" "What?" she asked him, facing him in wondering interest. "You!" he said, with a little shake of the head. "If you would just get interested in me, enough to go out with me now and then, to keep me from getting 'lonesome, oh, so lonesome,' I would devote all my time to investigating your Gospel." Betty looked her delight. "O? I will indeed. Everything I will do to to help you!" she returned earnestly, and they parted with bright smiles of friendship. "Queer girl!" he muttered to himself, grimly, as he left her. "Just thinks I am about to be reawakened," and he gave a little laugh of amusement. "I wonder if she will ever"--and then he drew out a cigar, and puffed seriously while he thought. "Just as those little rings of smoke form perfectly to ascend to the heavens, and then vanish into nothingness, so my aspirations for your hand, fair lady!" And he quickened his pace to suit his impatience at the flatness of things. That same evening, at the supper table, all seemed in excellent spirits and talkative. "What great weather!" exclaimed Frank Edgeway, with a deep sigh of satisfaction, as he started to eat of the bountiful repast spread before him. "Do say something original," said Mr. Mellor, with his quiet little laugh. "I have remarked that fact at least ten times today."