"I think it very stupid of you to hunt for a meaning when I believe I made everything so perfectly clear," she said wrathfully. "Well, you yourself might not be aware of what you really meant," he answered sagely. "Women often do that sort of thing, you know. Women often speak from motives which, if brought face to face with them, they wouldn't be able to distinguish from any other thing which they had never before seen." "Hollie, if there is a disgusting person in the world it is he who pretends to know so much concerning a woman's mind." "Well, that's because they who know, or pretend to know, so much about a woman's mind are invariably satirical, you understand," said Hollanden cheerfully. A dog ran frantically across the lawn, his nose high in the air and his countenance expressing vast perturbation and alarm. "Why, Billie forgot to whistle for his dog when he started for home," said Hollanden. "Come here, old man! Well, 'e was a nice dog!" The girl also gave invitation, but the setter would not heed them. He spun wildly about the lawn until he seemed to strike his master's trail, and then, with his nose near to the ground, went down the road at an eager gallop. They stood and watched him. "Stanley's a nice dog," said Hollanden. "Indeed he is!" replied the girl fervently. Presently Hollanden remarked: "Well, don't let's fight any more, particularly since we can't decide what we're fighting about. I can't discover the reason, and you don't know it, so----" "I do know it. I told you very plainly." "Well, all right. Now, this is the way to work that slam: You give the ball a sort of a lift--see!--underhanded and with your arm crooked and stiff. Here, you smash this other ball into the net. Hi! Look out! If you hit it that way you'll knock it over the hotel. Let the ball drop nearer to the ground. Oh, heavens, not on the ground! Well, it's hard to do it from the serve, anyhow. I'll go over to the other court and bat you some easy ones." Afterward, when they were going toward the inn, the girl suddenly began to laugh. "What are you giggling at?" said Hollanden. "I was thinking how furious he would be if he heard you call him a country swain," she rejoined. "Who?" asked Hollanden. CHAPTER XVII. Oglethorpe contended that the men who made the most money from books were the best authors. Hollanden contended that they were the worst. Oglethorpe said that such a question should be left to the people. Hollanden said that the people habitually made wrong decisions on questions that were left to them. "That is the most odiously aristocratic belief," said Oglethorpe. "No," said Hollanden, "I like the people. But, considered generally, they are a collection of ingenious blockheads." "But they read your books," said Oglethorpe, grinning. "That is through a mistake," replied Hollanden.