ural enough, of course." Her dry brittle tone was anything but
reassuring. Still without looking at her, he hurried on.

"Well, it _is_ natural that he should be worried about Paula. I know
how I'd feel about a thing like that. It was rather weird while we
waited after Aunt Lucile went up to bed for those two to come down.
Old Nat was fussing around the drawing-room, shutting up and putting
things to rights. Dad sent him to bed, too, told him we'd do the
locking up ourselves. I got the idea that he was expecting Paula to
come sailing down, with March, you know, and perhaps didn't want any
one around. So I made a bluff of going to bed myself. But he told me
to stick; said we'd settle down and have a smoke presently. I don't
know how long it was before we heard LaChaise and March coming but it
seemed a deuce of a while.

"Dad was right on the job then, calm as a May morning. He introduced
March and me and said something polite about his music, never a word
about his having been hiding all the evening.

"Then LaChaise spoke to dad in French. Said there was some business he
wanted to talk with him about and that he'd like an appointment. I wasn't
sure that dad quite got him so I crashed in and interpreted.

"Dad reached out and took hold of me, as if he was sort of glad that I
was there, and told me to tell Mr. LaChaise that we had plenty of time
right now, and if there was anything to discuss the sooner we got at it,
the better.

"I handed that on in French--I tried not to lose any of the kick out of
it--and while I was doing that March made a move to go.

"Dad told him not to. I wish you could have been there. I remember he
said after inviting him to stay, 'I imagine you are as much concerned in
this as any one.' It didn't faze March though. He said that he didn't
believe that what Mr. LaChaise had to say concerned him. Then he made a
stiff little bow for good night and went off down the hall to get his
hat. Oh, that wasn't like a doughboy, I'll admit. I went to the door
with him and we made a little conversation there for a minute or two just
to--take off the edge. That's when I found out where he'd been.

"Father had taken LaChaise into the drawing-room when I got back but I
don't believe either of them had said three words. They were waiting for
me. Dad led off by asking what he thought of March, and LaChaise told
him, though you could see that wasn't what was on his mind. He said March
had a very strong and ori