jealous of Aunt Lavinia, but she was a little envious, and above all
she wondered; for Morris Townsend was an object on which she found
that her imagination could exercise itself indefinitely. His cousin
had been describing a house that he had taken in view of his union
with Marian, and the domestic conveniences he meant to introduce into
it; how Marian wanted a larger one, and Mrs. Almond recommended a
smaller one, and how he himself was convinced that he had got the
neatest house in New York.

"It doesn't matter," he said; "it's only for three or four years. At
the end of three or four years we'll move. That's the way to live in
New York--to move every three or four years. Then you always get the
last thing. It's because the city's growing so quick--you've got to
keep up with it. It's going straight up town--that's where New
York's going. If I wasn't afraid Marian would be lonely, I'd go up
there--right up to the top--and wait for it. Only have to wait ten
years--they'd all come up after you. But Marian says she wants some
neighbours--she doesn't want to be a pioneer. She says that if she's
got to be the first settler she had better go out to Minnesota. I
guess we'll move up little by little; when we get tired of one street
we'll go higher. So you see we'll always have a new house; it's a
great advantage to have a new house; you get all the latest
improvements. They invent everything all over again about every five
years, and it's a great thing to keep up with the new things. I
always try and keep up with the new things of every kind. Don't you
think that's a good motto for a young couple--to keep 'going higher'?
That's the name of that piece of poetry--what do they call it?--
Excelsior!"

Catherine bestowed on her junior visitor only just enough attention