been concealed, and Ethel had acquiesced in the situation, though she
retained a strong interest in him. She believed that in going to
Canada he was doing an injudicious thing; but as his confidence was
hard to shake, he could not be warned--her conversation with him had
made that plainer. She would not regret it if Sylvia forgot him while
he was absent; but there were other ways in which he might suffer, and
she wished he had not chosen to place the management of his affairs in
Herbert's hands.

In the meanwhile, her brother had arrived, and he and George were
sitting together on the opposite side of the lawn. Edgar was a
handsome, dark-haired lad, with a mischievous expression, and he
sometimes owned that his capacity for seeing the humorous side of
things was a gift that threatened to be his ruin. Nevertheless, there
was a vein of sound common sense in him, and he had a strong admiration
for George Lansing.

"Why do you want to go with me?" the latter asked, pretending to be a
bit stern, but liking the youngster all the while.

"That," Edgar laughed, "is a rather euphemistic way of putting it. My
washes have not been consulted. I must give my relatives the credit
for the idea. Still, one must admit they had some provocation."

"It strikes me they have had a good deal of patience," George said
dryly. "I suppose it's exhausted."

"No," replied Edgar, with a confidential air; "it's mine that has given
out. I'd better explain that being stuffed with what somebody calls
formulae gets monotonous, and it's a diet they're rather fond of at