a blush.

"I tell you," continued Stephen, "there's no sense in it, Sis. You and
I know plenty of people whose incomes are no larger than ours. Do they
'economize,' as Graves is continually preaching? They do not, publicly
at least. They may save a bit, here and there, but they do it where it
doesn't show and nobody knows. Take the Blaisdells, for instance. When
the Sodality Bank went up, and old Blaisdell died, everybody said the
family was down and out. They must have lost millions. But did THEY move
into 'apartments' and put up a placard, 'Home of the Dead-Brokes. Walk
in and Sympathize?' I guess they didn't! They went into mourning, of
course, and that let them out of entertaining and all that, but they
stayed where they were and kept up the bluff. That's the thing that
counts in this world--keeping up the bluff."

"Yes, but everyone knows they are--bluffing, as you call it."

"What of it? They don't really know, they only suspect. And I met Jim
Blaisdell yesterday and he shook my hand, after I had held it in front
of his eyes where he couldn't help seeing it, and had the nerve to tell
me he hoped things weren't as bad with us as he had heard."

"I never liked the Blaisdells," declared Caroline, indignantly.

"Neither did I. Neither do most people. But Jim is just as much in the
swim as he ever was, and he's got his governor's place on the board of
directors at the bank, now that it's reorganized, and an office down
town, and he's hand and glove with Von Blarcom and all the rest.
They think he's a promising, plucky young man. They'll help his bluff
through. And are his mother and sister dropped by the people in their