"We haven't told you the most wonderful thing yet," said Mrs. Wilbur. "There is a most charming singer on the island. He gave a recital last night. Nothing commonplace. A very unusual voice. I'm engaging him for Pittsfield, Charles. He thinks he can come for a recital. He is young and little known yet, and so will be a novelty. I want you to hear him. You'll be wild, too." "I promise not to be," responded her husband. "But you can't help it, dear. Diana, why shouldn't we have a little dinner on the yacht and Mr. Barrison would probably sing afterward, and your father could hear him. Let me see now. Who would we have?" "I don't care," put in Mr. Wilbur, "so long as you have that sparkling person who sat beside the boy at dinner." "Mrs. Lowell," said Diana. "I'm so glad you appreciate Mrs. Lowell, Daddy." "I'm not blind in one eye and I can see out of the other. I have my hearing, too, and her voice is as fresh as a robin's." "But, oh, speaking of voices!" exclaimed Mrs. Wilbur, rolling up her eyes. "Well, then, Diana, supposing we have just Mr. Barrison and Mr. Kelly and Mrs. Lowell." "And Veronica," said Diana. "The young person who waits on the table," explained Mrs. Wilbur. "She and her aunt, Miss Burridge, are very worthy people." "Veronica and Mr. Kelly are such good friends," said Diana. "It would be too bad not to ask her." "Mr. Kelly is Mr. Barrison's accompanist," put in Mrs. Wilbur. "Barrison?" repeated Mr. Wilbur. "Isn't that the name of the husky I met on the road just now?" The speaker removed his cigar to ask his daughter the question. "Yes, Mamma, Mr. Barrison came up to take me down to row out in Mr. Kelly's boat to see the stranger in the cove. So when we encountered Daddy on the road, I persuaded him to give them an order to go over the yacht." In spite of herself, the missing color came back into the girl's cheeks while she related this, and Charles Wilbur, whom no circumstance connected with his daughter ever escaped, observed it. When next he was alone with his wife, he asked a few questions as to Diana's regard for the singer. "No, no, my dear," she returned scornfully. "You don't know Diana. We have an extraordinary daughter, there is no mistake about _that_, but she was telling me the other day of her ideal for a husband. He is a fright, I can assure you, but full of charm and all that. She doesn't want to marry any man who is attractive to women." "Wants to fool the vamps, eh?" was the laughing reply. "Why doesn't she look at her daddy?" was the affectionate response. "The most attractive being on earth and one who never gave me a heartache?" Charles Wilbur slipped his arm around his wife and kissed her. They were the best of friends. "Don't you know, my dear, that a girl's father is always unique? He isn't a man." "Oh," exclaimed Mrs. Wilbur, harking back to her find. "But, Charlie, you don't know how delighted I am to have such a prize for Pittsfield. I must show you my list."