"Well, I know this much," added Mac, suddenly sitting up with his hair in a highly disheveled condition."It is very unreasonable in us to ask women to be saints and then expect them to feel honored when we offer them our damaged hearts or, at best, one not half as good as theirs.If they weren't blinded by love, they'd see what a mean advantage we take of them and not make such bad bargains.""Upon my word, the philosopher is coming out strong upon the subject!
We shall have him preaching 'Women's Rights' directly," said Steve, much amazed at this outburst.
"I've begun, you see, and much good may it do you," answered Mac, laying himself placidly down again.
"Well, but look here, man­you are arguing on the wrong side," put in Archie, quite agreeing with him, but feeling that he must stand by his order at all costs.
"Never mind sides, uphold the right wherever you find it.You needn't stare, Steve­I told you I was going to look into this matter, and Iam.You think I'm wrapped up in books, but I see a great deal more of what is going on around me than you imagine, and I'm getting on in this new branch, let me tell you, quite as fast as is good for me, I daresay.""Going in for perfection, are you?" asked Charlie, both amused and interested, for he respected Mac more than he owned even to himself, and though he had never alluded to the timely warning, neither forgot.
"Yes, I think of it."
"How will you begin?"
"Do my best all-round­keep good company, read good books, love good things, and cultivate soul and body as faithfully and wisely as I can.""And you expect to succeed, do you?"
"Please God, I will."
The quiet energy of Mac's last words produced a momentary silence.Charlie thoughtfully studied the carpet; Archie, who had been absently poking the fire, looked over at Mac as if he thanked him again, and Steve, forgetting his self-conceit, began to wonder if it was not possible to improve himself a little for Kitty's sake.Only a minute, for young men do not give much time to thoughts of this kind, even when love stirs up the noblest impulses within them.To act rather than to talk is more natural to most of them, as Charlie's next question showed, for, having the matter much at heart, he ventured to ask in an offhand way as he laughed and twirled his cue:
"Do you intend to reach the highest point of perfection before you address one of the fair saints, or shall you ask her to lend a hand somewhere short of that?""As it takes a long lifetime to do what I plan, I think I shall ask some good woman 'to lend a hand' when I've got anything worth offering her.Not a saint, for I never shall be one myself, but a gentle creature who will help me, as I shall try to help her, so that we can go on together and finish our work hereafter, if we haven't time to do it here."If Mac had been a lover, he would not have discussed the subject in this simple and sincere fashion, though he might have felt it far more deeply, but being quite heart-free, he frankly showed his interest and, curiously enough, out of his wise young head unconsciously gave the three lovers before him counsel which they valued, because he practiced what he preached.
"Well, I hope you'll find her!" said Charlie heartily as he went back to his game.
"I think I shall." And while the others played, Mac lay staring at the window curtain as contentedly as if, through it, he beheld "a dream of fair women" from which to choose his future mate.
A few days after this talk in the billiard room, Kitty went to call upon Rose, for as she was about to enter the family she felt it her duty to become acquainted with all its branches.This branch, however, she cultivated more assiduously than any other and was continually running in to confer with "Cousin Rose," whom she considered the wisest, dearest, kindest girl ever created.And Rose, finding that, in spite of her flighty head, Kitty had a good heart of her own, did her best to encourage all the new hopes and aspirations springing up in it under the warmth of the first genuine affection she had ever known.
"My dear, I want to have some serious conversation with you upon a subject in which I take an interest for the first time in my life," began Miss Kitty, seating herself and pulling off her gloves as if the subject was one which needed a firm grasp.
"Tell away, and don't mind if I go on working, as I want to finish this job today," answered Rose, with a long-handled paintbrush in her hand and a great pair of shears at her side.
"You are always so busy! What is it now? Let me help­I can talk faster when I'm doing something," which seemed hardly possible, for Kitty's tongue went like a mill clapper at all hours.
"Making picture books for my sick babies at the hospital.Pretty work, isn't it? You cut out, and I'll paste them on these squares of gay cambric­then we just tie up a few pages with a ribbon and there is a nice, light, durable book for the poor dears to look at as they lie in their little beds.""A capital idea.Do you go there often? How ever do you find the time for such things?" asked Kitty, busily cutting from a big sheet the touching picture of a parent bird with a red head and a blue tail offering what looked like a small boa constrictor to one of its nestlings, a fat young squab with a green head, yellow body, and no tail at all.
"I have plenty of time now I don't go out so much, for a party uses up two days generally­one to prepare for it and one to get over it, you know.""People think it is so odd of you to give up society all of a sudden.
They say you have 'turned pious' and it is owing to your peculiar bringing-up.
