"I brought you here for a definite purpose," he announced as soon as the preliminaries were arranged.

"I think I can divine the purpose," replied Emory, striking a match and lighting his cigar.

Uncle Peabody looked at his companion inquiringly.

"It is about Helen, is it not?" continued Emory, without waiting for Mr.

Cartwright to question him.

"It is," a.s.sented Uncle Peabody; "and your intuition makes my task the easier."

"It is not intuition," corrected Emory; "it is observation."

"Well, call it what you like--the necessity is the same. Perhaps I have no right to discuss this matter with you, but I understand you have known Helen for a good while and pretty well."

"So well that I would have married her if she had ever given me the chance," a.s.serted Emory, calmly.

"What do you make out of the case?"

"The girl is desperately unhappy."

"She is. But how are we going to help her without making things a thousand times worse?"

Emory smoked his cigar meditatively. "I have been thinking of that, too," he replied at length, "but with no more success, apparently, than yourself. It is a rather delicate matter."

"There is no question about that." Uncle Peabody spoke decisively. "And this is all the more reason why we should talk things over together. We are the only ones who can possibly straighten matters out, and I am not at all certain that we can accomplish anything."

"Do you think Armstrong himself realizes the situation?"

"Not in the slightest. He is absolutely absorbed."

"How about Miss Thayer?"

Uncle Peabody looked at Emory interrogatively. "What have you observed about Miss Thayer?" he asked.

"That she is exceedingly sensitive upon the subject of her engagement,"

replied Emory, with feeling.

"Have you come to any conclusion as to the reason?"

Emory was surprised by the implied meaning in Mr. Cartwright's words.

"Why, no," he said, slowly.

"I was here when De Peyster proposed to her," Uncle Peabody continued.

"Then she was the girl!"

"She was the girl," repeated his companion. "When she threw him over, she did not tell him that she was engaged, as he repeated to you, but that she loved some one else."

A wave of understanding pa.s.sed over Emory.

"And the some one else was--Armstrong! What a stupid fool I've been!"

Emory rose and walked to the window. Suddenly he turned. "Does Helen know this?"

"Without a doubt."

"Then why does she not put a stop to it?"

"Now you have at length arrived at my standpoint," replied Uncle Peabody, with satisfaction. "Helen knows it, I am convinced. Miss Thayer, of course, knows her own feelings. Armstrong is head over heels in this alleged masterpiece of his, and I give him credit for appreciating Miss Thayer's sentiments toward him as little as he does Helen's sufferings. Except for this I should not think of interfering, but under the circ.u.mstances I feel that between us we may have a chance to straighten things out before the princ.i.p.als know that there is anything which needs straightening."

"That is a fair statement of the basis of the conspiracy," said Emory, returning to his seat; "but have you worked out the details as carefully?"

"No," admitted Uncle Peabody, frankly. "That is a more difficult proposition, and I doubt if we can formulate any definite plan. It occurred to me that if we joined forces we would stand a better chance of hitting upon some expedient when the opportunity offered."

"Helen seems more or less reconciled, in spite of what we know she feels," said Emory, reflectively; "you heard what she said to Armstrong last evening about helping his work to a glorious success?"

"She is trying desperately to be reconciled, and she thinks she has concealed her real feelings," replied Uncle Peabody; "but she is eating her heart out all the time."

"Well, I wish I thought I could help her some way." Emory rose and extended his hand. "I have never looked upon myself as much of a success in matters like this, Mr. Cartwright, but there is nothing I would not do for Helen--even to helping her to get a divorce!"

Uncle Peabody smiled as he took Emory's hand and held it firmly. "I suspect you will have to eliminate yourself if you hope to accomplish anything. If I know Helen at all, she will never take another chance if this first venture turns out unfortunately. But let us hope that all will right itself, and that we may be the direct or indirect means of its so doing."

"Amen to that," a.s.sented Emory, warmly. "I have wanted Helen always, but I should be a brute if I did not want her happiness first of all."

"I thought I had made no mistake," replied Uncle Peabody. "I rather pride myself on my skill in reading human nature, and I should have been disappointed in you had you failed me."

Uncle Peabody was late in returning to the villa, and the family had already seated themselves at dinner.

"We are all going for a moonlight ride," announced Armstrong as Mr.

Cartwright apologized for his tardy appearance, "and we felt sure you would soon be here. Did you ever see such a perfect evening?"

Uncle Peabody resolved to try an experiment. "May I venture to suggest an amendment?" he asked.

"What improvement can you possibly make on my plan?" Armstrong was incredulous.

"Simply that Miss Thayer and I give you and Helen a chance to enjoy the ride by yourselves, after the style of true honeymooners."

Helen's face flushed with pleasure, but Armstrong resented any change in his original arrangement.

"Nonsense!" he exclaimed. "Helen and I are not so sentimental, I trust, as to wish to keep you and Miss Thayer from enjoying the ride with us on such a night as this."

"I think Mr. Cartwright's amendment an excellent one," said Inez. "It will be much better for you and Helen to go by yourselves."

"Now you have broken up the whole party!" Armstrong turned petulantly on Uncle Peabody. "Miss Thayer has been working all the afternoon in the library, and needs the refreshment of the air even more than Helen."

"If Miss Thayer will permit," replied Uncle Peabody, maintaining his ground stoutly, "I will do my best to make her evening an agreeable one."