“Thank you; I’ll gladly come to the house for that special purpose, if you’ll let me know when.  Judge Gray has decided not to try to work at all next week; he’s giving me a holiday I really don’t want.”

“Are you so interested in your labours with him?”

Their eyes met.  There was something very sweet and womanly in Mrs. Stephen’s face and in the eyes which scanned his, or he would never have dared to say what he said next.

“Not in the work itself,” he confessed frankly, “though I don’t find it as hard as I did at first.  But—­the association with Judge Gray, the—­well, I suppose it’s really having something definite to do with my time.  Above all, just being in this house, though I don’t belong to it, is getting to seem so interesting to me that I’m afraid I shall hardly know what to do with myself all next week.”

She could not doubt the genuineness of his admission, strange as it sounded.  So the young aristocrat was really dreading a week’s vacation, he who had done nothing but idle away his time.  She felt a touch of pity for him; yet how absurd it was!

“I wish you could meet some of the people who will be here next week,” she said.  “I wonder if you would care to?”

“If they’re anything like those of the Gray family, I already know I should care immensely.”  He spoke with enthusiasm.

“I think some of them are the most interesting people I have ever met.  My husband’s Uncle Rufus, Judge Gray’s brother—­why, you must meet Uncle Rufus.  I’ll speak to Mrs. Robert Gray about it.  I’m sure if she thought you cared she’d be delighted to have you know him.  Then there’s the Christmas Eve dance.  I wonder if you would enjoy that?  We don’t usually have many people outside of the family, but there are always some of Rob’s and Louis’s special friends asked for the dance, and I’m sure I can arrange it.  I’ll mention it to Roberta.”

“Must it—­er—­rest with Miss Roberta?  I’m afraid she won’t ask me,” declared Richard anxiously.

“Won’t she?  Why?  She will probably say that she doesn’t believe you will enjoy it, but if I assure her that you want to come I think she will trust me.  She’s very exacting as to the qualifications of the guests at this dance, and will have nobody who isn’t ready for a good time in every unconventional way.  I warn you, Mr. Kendrick, who are used to leading cotillions, you may have to dance the Virginia reel with one of the dear little country cousins.  I wonder if you will have the discernment to see that some of them are better worth meeting than a good many of the girls you probably know.”

She gave him a keen, analyzing look.  Small and sweet as she was, clearly she belonged to this singular Gray family as if she had been born in it.  He met her look unflinchingly.  Then his glance fell to little Gordon.

“You trusted me with the boy,” said he.  “I think you may trust me with the little country cousin—­if she will do me the honour.”