“And Mr. Parr,” remarked the modern Evelyn, sententiously, “pays the bills, at St. John’s.  Doesn’t he, father?”

“I fear he pays a large proportion of them,” Mr. Waring admitted, in a serious tone.

“In these days,” said Evelyn, “the man who pays the bills is entitled to have his religion as he likes it.”

“No matter how he got the money to pay them,” added Phil.

“That suggests another little hitch in the modern church which will have to be straightened out,” said George Bridges.

“’Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!  For ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess.’”

“Why, George, you of all people quoting the Bible!” Eleanor exclaimed.

“And quoting it aptly, too,” said Phil Goodrich.

“I’m afraid if we began on the scribes and Pharisees, we shouldn’t stop with Mr. Parr,” Asa Wiring observed, with a touch of sadness.

“In spite of all they say he has done, I can’t help feeling sorry for him,” said Mrs. Waring.  “He must be so lonely in that huge palace of his beside the Park, his wife dead, and Preston running wild around the world, and Alison no comfort.  The idea of a girl leaving her father as she did and going off to New York to become a landscape architect!”

“But, mother,” Evelyn pleaded, “I can’t see why a woman shouldn’t lead her own life.  She only has one, like a man.  And generally she doesn’t get that.”

Mrs. Waring rose.

“I don’t know what we’re coming to.  I was taught that a woman’s place was with her husband and children; or, if she had none, with her family.  I tried to teach you so, my dear.”

“Well,” said Evelyn, “I’m here yet.  I haven’t Alison’s excuse.  Cheer up, mother, the world’s no worse than it was.”

“I don’t know about that,” answered Mrs. Waring.

“Listen!” ejaculated Eleanor.

Mrs. Waring’s face brightened.  Sounds of mad revelry came down from the floor above.

CHAPTER II

MR. LANGMAID’S MISSION

I

Looking back over an extraordinary career, it is interesting to attempt to fix the time when a name becomes a talisman, and passes current for power.  This is peculiarly difficult in the case of Eldon Parr.  Like many notable men before him, nobody but Mr. Parr himself suspected his future greatness, and he kept the secret.  But if we are to search what is now ancient history for a turning-point, perhaps we should find it in the sudden acquisition by him of the property of Mr. Bentley.