“‘Look up your friends!’ Dan was plainly puzzled.  ’None of my business, of course, but it is a queer notion.  And why the tablet?  Are you taking notes?’ He reached for the notebook with the easy familiarity that people use when they have known you all your life.  I shoved it away and flushed a little.  I can flush at a second’s notice, Carol.  It is very effective in a crisis.  I’ll teach you, if you like.  It only requires a little imagination.”

Carol hugged her knees and beamed at Connie.  “Go on,” she begged.  “How did it turn out?”

“‘Well,’ he said, ’you must be writing a book.  Are you looking up heroes?  Mount Mark isn’t tremendously rich in hero material.  But here am I, tall, handsome, courageous.’

“I sniffed, then I smiled, then I giggled.  ‘Yes,’ I agreed, ’I was looking up heroes, but not for a book.’

“‘What for then?’

“‘For me.’

“‘For you?’

“‘Yes, for me.  I want a hero of my own.  Dan,’ I said in an earnest impressive manner, ’you may think this is very queer, and not very modest, but I need a confidant, and Aunt Grace would think I am crazy.  Cross your heart you’ll never tell?’

“Dan obediently crossed, and I drew out the books.

“‘I am going to get married.’

“Dan pulled his long members together with a jerk and sat up.  He was speechless.

“I nodded affirmatively.  ‘Yes.  Does it surprise you?’

“‘Who to?’ he demanded furiously and ungrammatically.

“‘I haven’t just decided,’ I vouchsafed reluctantly.

“’You haven’t—­great Scott, are they coming around in droves like that?’ He glanced down the street as if he expected to see a galaxy of admirers heaving into view.  ’I knew there were a few hanging around, but there aren’t many fellows in Mount Mark.’

“’No, not many, and they aren’t coming in droves.  I am going after them.’

“Having known me almost since my toothless days, Dan knew he could only wait.

“‘I am getting pretty old, you know.’

“He looked at me critically and gave my age a smile.

“’I am very much in favor of marriage, and families, and such things.  I want one myself.  And if I don’t hurry up, I’ll have to adopt it.  There’s an age limit, you know.’”

“‘Age limit,’ he exploded.

“’I think I shall have a winter wedding, a white one, along in January.  Not in December, it might interfere with my Christmas presents.’

“‘Connie—­’

“’I am going to be very systematic about it.  In this note-book I am making a list of all the nice Mount Markers.  I couldn’t think of any myself right offhand, so I had to resort to the directory.  Now I shall go through the list and grade them.  Some are black-marked right at the start.  Those that sound reasonable, I shall try out.  The one that makes good, I shall marry.  I’ve got to hurry, too.  My vacation only lasts a week, and I have to work on my trousseau a little.  It’s lots of fun.  I am perfectly fascinated with it.’