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Her thoughts were first of Fortune's kindness in selecting her for a favour sointo the precise need of her life; then she considered Henry and Herbert, each at this hour probably brushing his hair in preparation for the Sunday evening ly unconscious of the calarossed her ht about Wallie Torbin

This Master Torbin, fourteen years of age, was in all the town the boyHe had no physical endowment or attainment worth mention; but boys who could "whip him with one hand" became sycophants in his presence; the terror he inspired was moral He had a special over-developh by s, especially in their youth; in other words, he had a genius--not, however, a genius having to do with anything generally recognized as art or science True, if he had been a violinist prodigy or y, he would have had soht have received if he were gifted with some pleasant deformity, such as six toes on a foot--but he would never have enjoyed such deadly prestige as had actually coenius for mockery

Almost from his babyhood he had been a child of one purpose: to increase by burlesques the sufferings of unfortunate friends If one of the in horrid mimicry; if one were chastised he could not appear out-of-doors for days except to encounter Wallie and a coony "Quit, Papa! Pah-puh, quee-yet! I'll never do it again, Pah-puh! Oh, lerew older, his insatiate curiosity enabled him to expose unnumbered weaknesses, indiscretions, and social misfortunes on the part of acquaintances and schoolave a hideous publicity: the ht privacy the more persistently he was followed by Wallie, vociferous and attended by hilarious spectators But above all other things, what ies of satire was a tender episode or any symptom connected with the dawn of love Florence herself had suffered at intervals throughout her eleventh suie Beck had sent her a valentine; and the hus of that valentine's affectionate quatrain finally left her unable to decide which she hated the ie That was the worst of Wallie: he never "let up"; and in Florence's circle there was nothreat than, "I'll tell Wallie Torbin!" As for Henry Rooter and Herbert Illingsworth Atwater, Jr, they would as soon have had a Head-hunter on their trail as Wallie Torbin in the possession of anything that could incri!) of their own beauty