“But they may be clients some day,” he argued—­a frivolous answer to which she never deigned to reply.

Just as one used to take for granted that third horse which pulled the car uphill, so Peter was taken for granted.  He might have been on the highroad to a renown like that of Chief Justice Marshall, and Honora had been none the wiser.

“Well, Peter,” said Uncle Tom at dinner one evening of that memorable summer, when Aunt Mary was helping the blackberries, and incidentally deploring that she did not live in the country, because of the cream one got there, “I saw Judge Brice in the bank to-day, and he tells me you covered yourself with glory in that iron foundry suit.”

“The Judge must have his little joke, Mr. Leffingwell,” replied Peter, but he reddened nevertheless.

Honora thought winning an iron foundry suit a strange way to cover one’s self with glory.  It was not, at any rate, her idea of glory.  What were lawyers for, if not to win suits?  And Peter was a lawyer.

“In five years,” said Uncle Tom, “the firm will be ‘Brice and Erwin’.  You mark my words.  And by that time,” he added, with a twinkle in his eye, “you’ll be ready to marry Honora.”

“Tom,” reproved Aunt Mary, gently, “you oughtn’t to say such things.”

This time there was no doubt about Peter’s blush.  He fairly burned.  Honora looked at him and laughed.

“Peter is meant for an old bachelor,” she said.

“If he remains a bachelor,” said Uncle Tom, “he’ll be the greatest waste of good material I know of.  And if you succeed in getting him, Honora, you’ll be the luckiest young woman of my acquaintance.”

“Tom,” said Aunt Mary, “it was all very well to talk that way when Honora was a child.  But now—­she may not wish to marry Peter.  And Peter may not wish to marry her.”

Even Peter joined in the laughter at this literal and characteristic statement of the case.

“It’s more than likely,” said Honora, wickedly.  “He hasn’t kissed me for two years.”

“Why, Peter,” said Uncle Tom, “you act as though it were warm to-night.  It was only seventy when we came in to dinner.”

“Take me out to the park,” commanded Honora.

“Tom,” said Aunt Mary, as she stood on the step and watched them cross the street, “I wish the child would marry him.  Not now, of course,” she added hastily,—­a little frightened by her own admission, “but later.  Sometimes I worry over her future.  She needs a strong and sensible man.  I don’t understand Honora.  I never did.  I always told you so.  Sometimes I think she may be capable of doing something foolish like—­like Randolph.”

Uncle Tom patted his wife on the shoulder.

“Don’t borrow trouble, Mary,” he said, smiling a little.  “The child is only full of spirits.  But she has a good heart.  It is only human that she should want things that we cannot give her.”

“I wish,” said Aunt Mary, “that she were not quite so good-looking.”