“I am willing to leave his soul in the hands of One who doeth all things well,” came solemnly from Merry’s lips.
“Where do you expect to spend the most of your vacation?”
“Starbright has invited me to visit him in his home, and I think I shall go there. Then I am to meet father in New York. Several of the fellows are going to visit Starbright.”
“Isn’t he a splendid fellow!” exclaimed the dark-eyed girl enthusiastically. “He is so big and grand! It was magnificent to see him tear through the enemy’s line in the football-game. And he’s handsome, too!”
“Here! here!” cried Merry reprovingly. “This will never do! Why, I believe you are interested in him, Inza!”
His heart was smitten by a pang of jealousy, for he was like other fellows in this respect, and no one is flawless. She laughed when she saw him looking at her almost accusingly.
“I am,” she boldly declared. “Why shouldn’t I be? He is your friend, and you have told me what a great, big-hearted chap he is. You want me to like all of your friends, don’t you?”
“Oh, yes; but there are different ways of liking a fellow, Inza.”
“I like him as I might a big, handsome brother.”
“Oh, well! that will do. I can’t object to that.”
“Do you think,” she said teasingly, “that you could object under any circumstances? If I really and truly fell in love with him, could you object?”
“Oh, I don’t suppose I’d have a right to object!” he laughed, though that pang of jealousy still gnawed at his heart.
“Surely not!” Inza exclaimed. “According to your own tell, Dick is one of the finest fellows in the world, and were he to take a fancy to me, you ought to be glad and happy. It would be your duty to help it along.”
He felt that she was teasing him, but still it was a tender spot, and it made him squirm a bit.
“Inza,” he said sincerely, “once I did my best to keep you from marrying a man your father had selected for you, but a man you told me you did not love.”
“For which,” she admitted, “I owe you much. I can see now that it would have been a fatal folly.”
“I felt that way about it, dear girl, and that was why I did my best to keep you from taking the false step. Had I known you really and truly loved him, I should have remained silent. In this case it is different, for Starbright is worthy of a fine girl; but he is young yet—even younger than you, Inza.”