orking ten hours a day for very little
money, isn't she? You know she is, when she could make a great deal of
money by working half as hard. We have some influence with theatrical
people, and we meant merely to put her in the way of bettering her
position, and to give her the chance to do something which she can do
better than many others, while almost any one, I take it, can sweep and
make beds. If she were properly managed, she could become a great
dancer, and delight thousands of people--add to the gayety of nations,
as it were. She's hardly doing that now, is she? Have you any
objections to that? What right have you to make objections, anyway?"

The young man regarded the two young gentlemen before him with a dogged
countenance, but there was now in his eyes a look of helplessness and of
great disquietude.

"We're engaged to be married, Annie and me," he said. "That's it."

"Oh," exclaimed Van Bibber, "I beg your pardon. That's different. Well,
in that case, you can help us very much, if you wish. We leave it
entirely with you!"

"I don't want that you should leave it with me," said the young man,
harshly. "I don't want to have nothing to do with it. Annie can speak
for herself. I knew it was coming to this," he said, leaning forward and
clasping his hands together, "or something like this. I've never felt
dead sure of Annie, never once. I always knew something would happen."

"Why, nothing has happened," said Van Bibber, soothingly. "You would
both benefit by it. We would be as willing to help two as one. You would
both be better off."

The young man raised his head and stared at Van Bibber reprovingly.

"You know better than that," he said. "You know what I'd look like. Of
course she could make money as a dancer, I've known that for some time,
but she hasn't thought of it yet, and she'd never have thought of it
herself. But the question isn't me or what I want. It's Annie. Is she
going to be happier or not, that's the question. And I'm telling you
that she couldn't be any happier than she is now. I know that, too.
We're just as contented as two folks ever was. We've been saving for
three months, and buying furniture from the instalment people, and next
month we were going to move into a flat on Seventh Avenue, quite handy
to the hotel. If she goes onto the stage could she be any happier? And
if you're honest in saying you're thinking of the two of us--I ask you
where would I come in? I'll be pulling this wi