exquisite manners; pleasant habits; success with women. You needn't feel
flattered, for this is your stock in trade. You are decidedly interesting,
and lots of those girls who are brought there every year to get them in
would be glad to make such an exchange. You know everybody, and you could
give any girl a good standing in Boston or New York. Besides, there is
your genius, which may develop. That will be thrown in to boot; it may
bear interest."

Clayton, who had begun by feeling how disagreeable his situation was when
it exposed him to this kind of hauling over, ended by bursting into a
cordial laugh at the frank materialism with which his cousin presented his
case. "Well," he exclaimed, "it's no go to talk to you about the claims
and ideals of art, Cousin Della, but I will accept your offer, if only for
the sake of modelling a bust of 'The Energetic Matron (American).'"

"Of course, I don't make much of ideals in art and all that," replied his
cousin, "but I will put this through for you, as Harry says. You must
promise me only one thing: no flirting with Harriet and Mary. Henry has
been foolish and lost money, as you know, and I cannot have another beggar
on my hands!"



II

By the end of July Clayton had found out two things definitely; he was
standing in his little workshop, pulling at his mustache and looking
sometimes at a half-completed sketch, and sometimes at the blue stretch of
water below the cliff. The conclusions were that he certainly should not
become interested in Harriet and Mary, and, secondly, that Mount Desert