cousin. Whatever else she might plan to do with you, she didn't
plan that. So the rest of us must just bear it!"

"The 'rest of you!'" he laughed. "It's going to mean a great
deal of suffering!"

Alice resumed her placid tone. "You're staying at the Palmers',
aren't you?"

"No, not now. I've taken an apartment. I'm going to live here;
I'm permanent. Didn't I tell you?"

"I think I'd heard somewhere that you were," she said. "Do you
think you'll like living here?"

"How can one tell?"

"If I were in your place I think I should be able to tell, Mr.
Russell."

"How?"

"Why, good gracious!" she cried. "Haven't you got the most
perfect creature in town for your--your cousin? SHE expects to
make you like living here, doesn't she? How could you keep from
liking it, even if you tried not to, under the circumstances?"

"Well, you see, there's such a lot of circumstances," he
explained; "I'm not sure I'll like getting back into a business
again. I suppose most of the men of my age in the country have