"What! am I not yet believed?" he questioned, laughing; "what more shall I do to convince you of my identity? you accepted our red-headed friend readily enough!" "Oh! I believe you!" cried Nattie, eagerly; then stopped, and colored, abashed at her own so plainly shown delight. But Mr. Stanwood looked at her with a gratified expression in his brown eyes. "And you will not snub me any more, will you?" he said, pleadingly; "because I never use bear's grease or musk, and my hair isn't red a bit!" "I will try and make amends," Nattie answered, shyly; adding, "I ought to have known there was some mistake. I never could reconcile that creature and--and 'C'!" "Then I may flatter myself that I am an improvement?" asked Mr. Stanwood, merrily; at which Nattie murmured something about fishing for compliments, and Cyn replied gayly, "Yes; because you have curly hair! You remember what I said on the wire, _via_ Nat?" "Could I forget?" he replied, gallantly. "And it isn't a dream! You are 'C', the real 'C,'" replied Cyn, pinching herself, and then seizing Nattie, who, from the suddenness of it all was yet in a semi-bewildered state--there was not a bit of unhappiness in it, though--waltzed ecstatically around the room, crying, "Oh! I am so glad! I am so glad!" At this point Quimby, who, during the preceding explanation had listened with a face illustrating every variety of consternation and dismay, attracted attention to himself by an audible groan, observing which, he muttered something about his "wound"--the word had a double meaning for him then, poor fellow!--and rising, came forward, took his friend by the shoulder, and asked, solemnly, "Now, Clem--I--I beg pardon--but is it--is this all true, and--and not one of your jokes, you know? Honestly, are you that--that 'C'?" "Here is a doubting Thomas for you!" cried Clem, gayly. "But, upon my word of honor, old boy, I truly and honestly am 'that C,' and I suppose you were the 'other visitor of no consequence,' who called with Miss Archer that day I was favored by an introduction to her. How little I thought it then!" "How little _I_ thought it!" groaned Quimby, as his hand fell dejectedly from Clem's shoulder. "But I--I am used to it, you know!" So saying he sank into a chair. That _he_ had brought about such a result as this--that _he_ had resurrected the dreaded "C" from the grave of musk and bear's grease was too much. "But now that all is explained, I am really not sorry for the mistake," Clem said, utterly unconscious of his friend's state of mind. "For, had it not been for that I should never have learned, as I have to-day, from you two ladies, what a very interesting and agreeable fellow I am!" and he bowed profoundly, with a twinkle of merriment in his eyes. "Over the wire," Nattie added, pointedly. "Of course, over the wire!" he said, with another bow. "But it shall be my endeavor to make good my reputation, minus the wire!"