Kilmeny of the Orchard

stopped worrying about them after they are born, this world would be a very much pleasanter place to live in, and the human race would make more progress in a gen- eration than it has done in recorded his- tory.”

“ Oh, if you are going to mount your dearly beloved hobby of heredity I am not going to argue with you, David, man. But as for the matter of urging me to hasten and marry me a wife, why don’t you ”— It was on Eric’s lips to say, “ Why don’t you get married to a girl of the right sort yourself and set me a good example“? ” But he checked himself. He knew that there was an old sorrow in David Baker’s life which was not to be unduly jarred by the jests even of privi- leged friendship. He changed his ques- tion to, “ Why don’t you leave this on the knees of the gods where it properly be- longs? I thought you were a firm believer in predestination, David.”

“ Well, so I am, to a certain extent,”

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