CHAPTER IV.
BEGINNINGS.
How far Watts was confining himself to facts in the foregoing dialogue is of no concern, for the only point of value was that Peter was invited, without regard to whether Watts first asked Mr.Pierce, or Mr.
Pierce first asked Watts.

A letter which the latter wrote to Miss Pierce, as soon as it was settled that Peter should go, is of more importance, and deserves quotation in full: JUNE 7TH.
MY DEAR HELEN-- Between your Pater and my Peter, it has taken an amount of diplomacy to achieve the scheme we planned last summer, which would be creditable to Palmerston at his palmiest and have made Bismarck even more marked than he is.

But the deed, the mighty deed is done, and June twenty-ninth will see chum and me at the Shrubberies "if it kills every cow in the barn," which is merely another way of saying that in the bright lexicon of youth, there's no such word as fail.
Now a word as to the fellow you are so anxious to meet.

I have talked to you so much about him, that you will probably laugh at my attempting to tell you anything new.

I'm not going to try, and you are to consider all I say as merely a sort of underlining to what you already know.