"I can't say that anything is wrong exactly, Tom," returned Sam, hesitatingly. "You see, I—I——"
"Is it that Chester Waltham?" demanded the other, quickly.
Sam nodded. "Of course I can't blame him, and I can't blame Grace, for the matter of that. It isn't every girl who gets the chance to marry a young millionaire."
"What! Has he proposed to her?" cried Tom.
"Oh, no, I don't think that, Tom. But he has been very friendly."
"Well, I wouldn't stand for it, Sam. I think Grace ought to marry you, and I would tell her so and have it settled."
"That's all well enough to say, Tom. But just the same I haven't any right to stand in her light. I haven't got any such money to offer her as this millionaire——"
"Rot! You've got enough money to make any girl comfortable, and that is all that is necessary. You go on in and win!" and Tom clapped his younger brother on the shoulder encouragingly. Then Dick entered, along with a maid left to take care of the apartments, and the talk came to an end.
While the boys were doing this, the girls had gone to Cedarville, and there assisted Mrs. Stanhope and Mrs. Laning in getting ready for the tour. Dora's mother had a hired chauffeur to run her car, and this man was to bring the party to Valley Brook in the Stanhope machine.
"I am very glad you are going, Mother," said Dora to her parent. "I am sure this trip will do you a world of good." For Mrs. Stanhope was not in the best of health and sometimes grew quite nervous when left too long to herself.