"Come and tell me all about it," he suggested. "I expected to hear
that he had gone abroad."

"Mr. Laverick," she said, looking up at him tremulously. "I was
hoping that you could have told me what it was that had come to him."

"Well, that rather depends," Laverick answered. "We certainly had
a terribly anxious time yesterday. Our business has been most
unfortunate--"

"Yes, yes!" the girl interrupted. "Please go on. There have been
business troubles, then."

"Rather," Laverick continued. "Last night they reached such a
pitch that I gave Morrison some money and it was agreed that he
should leave the firm and try his luck somewhere else. I quite
understood that he was going abroad."

The girl seemed, for some reason, relieved.

"There was something, then," she said, half to herself. "There was
something. Oh, I am glad of that! You were angry with him, perhaps,
Mr. Laverick?"

Laverick stood with his back to the little fireplace and with his
hands behind him--a commanding figure in the tiny room full of
feminine trifles. He looked a great deal more at his ease than
he really was.

"Perhaps I was inclined to be short-tempered," he admitted. "You
see, to be frank with you, the department of our business that was
going wrong was the one over which Morrison has had sole control.
He had entered into certain speculations which I considered
unjustifiable. To-day, however, matters took an unexpected turn
for the better."

Almost as he spoke his face clouded. Morrison, of course, would be
triumphant. Perhaps he would even expect to be reinstated. For
many reasons, this was a thing which Laverick did not desire.

"Now tell me," he continued, "what is the matter with Morrison, and
why has he sent for me, and, if you will pardon my saying so, why
is he here instead of in his own rooms?"

"I will explain," she began softly.

"You will please explain sitting down," he said firmly. "And don't
look so terrified," he added, with a little laugh. "I can assure
you that I am not going to eat you, or anything of that sort. You
make me feel quite uncomfortable."

She smiled for the first time, and Laverick thought that he had
never seen anything so wonderful as the change in her features. The
strained rigidity passed away. An altogether softer light gleamed
in her wonderful eyes. She was certainly by far the prettiest child
he had ever seen. As yet he could not take her altogether seriously.

"Thank