"They have all suddenly grown up!" Mrs. Richie said, disconsolately. She had left the "party" early, without waiting for her carriage, because Mrs. Maitland's impatient glances at her desk had been an unmistakable dismissal. "I will walk home with you," Robert Ferguson said. "Aren't you going to wait for Elizabeth?" "David will bring her home." "He'll be only too glad of the chance; how pretty she was to-night! You must have been very proud of her." "Not in the least. Beauty isn't a thing to be proud of. Quite the contrary." Mrs. Richie laughed: "You are hopeless, Mr. Ferguson! What is a girl for, if not to be sweet and pretty and charming? And Elizabeth is all three." "I would rather have her good." "But prettiness doesn't interfere with goodness! And Elizabeth is a dear, good child." "I hope she is," he said "You _know_ she is," she declared. "Well, she has her good points," he admitted; and put his hand up to his lean cheek as if he still felt the flower-like touch of Elizabeth's lips. "But they have all grown up," Mrs. Richie said. "Mr. Ferguson, David wants to smoke! What shall I do?" "Good heavens! hasn't he smoked by this time?" said Robert Ferguson, horrified. "You'll ruin that boy yet!" "Oh, when he was a little boy, there was one awful day, when--" Mrs. Richie shuddered at the remembrance; "but now he wants to really smoke, you know." "He's seventeen," Mr. Ferguson said, severely. "I should think you might cut the apron-strings by this time." "You seem very anxious about apron-strings for David," she retorted with some spirit. "I notice you never show any anxiety about Blair." At which her landlord laughed loudly: "I should say not! He's been brought up by a man--practically." Then he added with some generosity, "But I'm not sure that an apron-string or two might not have been a good thing for Blair." Mrs. Richie accepted the amend good-naturedly. "My tall David is very nice, even if he does want to smoke. But I've lost my boy." "He'll be a boy," Robert Ferguson said, "until he makes an ass of himself by falling in love. Then, in one minute, he'll turn into a man. I--" he paused, and laughed: "I was twenty, just out of college, when I made an ass of myself over a girl who was as vain as a peacock. Well, she was beautiful; I admit that." "You were very young," Mrs. Richie said gravely; the emotion behind his careless words was obvious. They walked along in silence for several minutes. Then he said, contemptuously: "She threw me over. Good riddance, of course."