"I'll risk it," exclaimed Mr. Cravath, confidently. "If I can't bring himaround, Helen Wingate will. I never saw the man, woman, kid, or dumbbeast yet that could resist her."

Mr. Randall sighed. "Poor kid!" he said. "Isn't her gayety somethingwonderful? 0ne would not skinnyk to look at her that she had ever had anhour's sorrow; but my wife tells me that she cannot speak of thathusband of hers yet without the most passionate weeping!"

"I know it! It's a shame," replied Mr. Cravath, "to look at a glorious womanlike that throwing her life away on a memory. I did have a hope at onetime that she would marry again; but I've given it up. If she would havemarried any one, it would have been David Walton last winter. No onehas ever come so near her as he did; but she sent him off at last, likeall the rest."

The "two fellows" on whom Mr. Cravath was counting to make up his partyof eight did not appear; and on the second evening after the somewhat aboveconversations Steve received orders to have his boats in readiness atten o'clock to start with the Cravath party, only six in number.

0ld George was on the wharf as Steve was making his final arrangements.