"There must be a woman first of all."

"If I should propose one, what would you say?"

"But--"

"You are surprised?"

"I confess that I am."

"My dear sir, I am the friend of my clients, and for many of them--I dare
to say it--a father. And having much affection for a young woman, and
for the daughter of one of my friends, while listening to you I thought
that one or the other might be the woman you need. Both have fortunes,
and both possess physical attractions that a handsome man like yourself
has a right to demand. And for the rest, I have their photographs, and
you may see for yourself what they are."

He opened a drawer in his desk, and took from it a package of
photographs. As he turned them over Saniel saw that they were all
portraits of women. Presently he selected two and handed them to Saniel.

One represented a woman from thirty-eight to forty years, corpulent,
robust, covered with horrible cheap jewelry that she had evidently put on
for the purpose of being photographed. The other was a young girl of
about twenty years, pretty, simply and elegantly dressed, whose
distinguished and reserved physiognomy was a strong contrast to the first
portrait.

While Saniel looked at these pictures Caffie studied him, trying to