XII. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker, President of the Federated Women’s Clubs, bitterly shares Black Orlo’s opinion that her son does not amount to much, in which young Peter cordially concurs_ 139 XIII. _Mr. Peter Parker of Pasadena, visiting his mill for the first time, is given the right hand of fellowship and the cold shoulder in the space of an hour_ 149 XIV. _Peter soaks up impressions and rather fancies himself as a comedian, but neither Glen Darrow nor Henry Clay Bean find him funny_ 166 XV. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker receives that lowest form of human expression, an anonymous letter and pays the doctor’s daughter a call_ 183 XVI. _Gloriana-Virginia proves that it was really a Wishing Carpet after all!_ 198 XVII. _Young Peter sees something he never saw before, and Glen finds that her theory about herself was wrong_ 211 XVIII. _Mrs. Eugenia Parker has the doubtful satisfaction of seeing her trifling son in action for the first time_ 220 XIX. _Glen Darrow, being her father’s daughter, decides that promises are made to be kept_ 234 XX. _Peter Parker of Pasadena is less of a fool than has been popularly supposed, and the golden legend is discovered to be tarnished brass_ 245 XXI. _Once more, the Wishing Carpet justifies itself, and Henry Clay Bean, breaks the solemnity of a lifetime_ 255 _The_ WISHING CARPET CHAPTER I _Glenwood Darrow, looking only at the eyes, overlooks the chin, and a rarely beautiful Persian rug is overshadowed by golden oak._ ONCE, when Glen Darrow was six years old, she put a hand on her mother’s thin knee and halted the reading of a fairy tale. “Mummie,” she whispered, “is that one?” She was pointing at a small and very beautiful Oriental rug which seemed singularly out of place in the ugly and characterless sitting room. Color, design, and texture were exquisite. A fanciful person, contrasting it with the strident carpet, the atrocious vases and pictures, the glistening golden oak furniture, might have thought it was like a nobleman, briefly taking refuge in the mean hut of a peasant. “Mummie, dear!” The child was insistent. “Is that a Wishing Carpet?”