“To be sure, sir.  I’ll just make a note of it.  Saturday, you said?  H’m, yes, Saturday.  About half-past six, I presume?” The Doctor pulled himself from his chair and rummaged about his desk.  “Well, I can’t ... seem to ... find my ... memorandum, but I’ll remember without it.  You—­ah—­you might mention it to me again in a day or two.  I hope by that time we’ll be able to drink a toast, sir, to you and Miss Eve.”

“You don’t hope so any more than I do,” said Wade gravely.  “I only wish—­” He stopped, frowned at his pipe and went on.  “The devil of it is, Doctor, I feel so confoundedly cheeky.”

“Eh?”

“I mean about asking her to marry a fellow like me.”

“What’s the matter with you?  You’re of sound body and mind, aren’t you?”

“Yes, I reckon so.  But I’m such a useless sort, in a way.  I’ve never done anything except make some money.”

“Some women would think you’d done quite enough,” replied the Doctor, dryly.

“But she’s not that sort.  I don’t believe she cares anything about money.  I’ve been trying to get her to let me do the square thing with Ed’s property, but she won’t listen.”

“Wanted to parcel some of it out to her, eh?  Well, I guess Eve wouldn’t have it.”

“No, she wouldn’t.  She ought to, too.  It should have been hers, by rights.  If it wasn’t for that silly quarrel between her father and Ed’s—­”

“I know, I know.  But she’s right, according to her lights, Mr. Herrick.  Irv Walton wouldn’t have touched any of that money with a pair of pincers.  Still, I don’t see as you need to have such a poor opinion of yourself.  We can’t all be great generals or statesmen or financiers.  Some of us have to wear the drab.  And, after all, it doesn’t matter tuppence what you are, Mr. Herrick, if you’ve got the qualities that appeal to Eve.  Lord love us!  Where would civilization be if it was only the famous men who found wives?  I don’t think any the worse of myself, Mr. Herrick, because I’ve never made the world sit up and take notice.  I’ve had my battles and victories, and I don’t despise them because there was no waving of flags or sounding of trumpets.  I’ve lived clean—­as clean as human flesh may, I guess,—­I’ve been true to my friends and honest to my enemies, and here I am, as good as the next man, to my own thinking.”

“I dare say you’re right,” answered Wade, “but when you love a woman, you sort of want to have a few trophies handy to throw down at her feet, if you see what I mean.  You’d like to say, ’Look, I’ve done this and that!  I’ve conquered here and there!  I am Somebody!’”

“And if she didn’t love you she’d turn up her nose at your trophies, and like as not walk off with the village fool.”

“Well, but it seems to me that a woman isn’t likely to love a man unless he has something to show besides a pocketbook.”