"Inches give magnanimity: big men are always big-hearted; you can
afford to forgive her, and retaliate that too much brain-power sinks
individuality into mere machinery. I should say Hal's besetting fault
was rapping every one on the knuckles, as if they were the keys of a
typewriting machine."

"And yours, my dear Lorraine, is smiling into every one's eyes, as if
the world held no others for you. Were I a man, and you smiled at me
so, I would strangle you before you had time to repeat the glance on
some one else."

"And Dick's besetting sin," murmured St. Quintin plaintively, "is a
persistent fancy for other people's ties and other people's boots. I
have cause to bless the benign and other people's boots. I have cause
to bless the benign providence who fashioned my shoulders sufficiently
smaller than his to prevent his wearing my coats."

"And yours, Quin," broke in Hermon, "is a fond and loathsome affection
for pipes so seasoned that the Board of Trade ought to prohibit their
use."

"After all," Hal rapped out at him, "that's not so bad as love of a
looking-glass."

"And love of a looking-glass is no worse than love of throwing stones
from glass houses," he retorted.

"Of course it isn't, Hal," broke in her cousin, "and probably if you
had anything nice to look at in your glass - "