"What a curious coincidence! A few of us were discussing this very subject last night in Millicent Hightopper's rooms, and I may tell you at once that our decision was unanimous in favour of soldiers. You see, my dear Selkirk, in human nature the attraction is towards the opposite. To a milliner's apprentice a poet would no doubt be satisfying; to a woman of intelligence he would be an unutterable bore. The man of brain is not for the woman of brain. What the intellectual woman requires in man is not something to argue with, but something to look at. To an empty-headed woman I can imagine the soldier type proving vapid and uninteresting; to the woman of mind he represents her ideal of man--a creature strong, handsome, well-dressed, and not too clever." "That gives us two votes for the army," remarked MacShaugnassy, as Brown tore his sister's letter in two, and threw the pieces into the waste-paper basket. "What says the common-sensed girl?" "First catch your common-sensed girl," muttered Jephson, a little grumpily, as it seemed to me. "Where do you propose finding her?" "Well," returned MacShaugnassy, "I looked to find her in Miss Medbury." As a rule, the mention of Miss Medbury's name brings a flush of joy to Jephson's face; but now his features wore an expression distinctly approaching a scowl. "Oh!" he replied, "did you? Well, then, the common-sensed girl loves the military, also." "By Jove!" exclaimed MacShaugnassy, "what an extraordinary thing. What reason does she give?" "That they look so nice when they're dressed, and that they dance so divinely," answered Jephson, shortly. "Well, you do surprise me," murmured MacShaugnassy, "I am astonished." Then to me he said: "And what does the young married woman say? The same?" "Yes," I replied, "precisely the same." "Does _she_ give a reason?" he asked. "Oh, yes," I explained; "because you can't help liking them." There was silence for the next few minutes, while we smoked and thought. I fancy we were all wishing we had never started this enquiry.