Peter repeated this last sentence a number of times and seemed to enjoy the prospect it conjured up. He saw Peter Stirling taking a fond farewell of a certain lady. He saw him entering the arena and struggling with the wild beasts, and of course conquering them. He saw the day when his successes would enable him to set up his own fireside. He saw that fireside made perfect by a pair of slate-colored eyes, which breakfast opposite him, follow him as he starts for his work, and greet him on his return. A pair of eyes to love when present, and think of when absent. Heigho! How many firesides and homes have been built out of just such materials! From all this the fact can be gathered that Peter was really, despite his calm, sober nature, no more sensible in love matters than are other boys verging on twenty-one. He could not see that success in this love would be his greatest misfortune. That he could not but be distracted from his work. That he would almost certainly marry before he could well afford it, and thus overweight himself in his battle for success. He forgot prudence and common-sense, and that being what a lover usually does, he can hardly be blamed for it. Bump! Down came the air-castle. Home, fireside, and the slate-colored eyes dissolved into a wooden wharf. The dream was over. “Bear a hand here with these lunch-baskets, chum,” called Watts. “Make yourself useful as well as ornamental.” And so Peter’s solitary tramp ceased, and he was helping lunch-baskets and ladies to the wharf. But the tramp had brought results which were quickly to manifest themselves. As the party paired off for the walk to the Shrubberies, both Watts and Peter joined Miss Pierce, which was not at all to Peter’s liking. “Go on with the rest, Watts,” said Peter quietly. Miss Pierce and Watts both stopped short in surprise. “Eh?” said the latter. “You join the rest of the party on ahead,” said Peter. “I don’t understand,” said Watts, who could hardly have been more surprised if Peter had told him to drown himself. “I want to say something to Miss Pierce,” explained Peter. Watts caught his breath. If Peter had not requested his absence and given his reason for wishing it, in Miss Pierce’s hearing, Watts would have formed an instant conclusion as to what it meant, not far from the truth. But that a man should deliberately order another away, in the girl’s hearing, so that he might propose to her, was too great an absurdity for Watts to entertain for more than a second. He laughed, and said, “Go on yourself, if you don’t like the company.”