as against hers. "We want me to make some money, don't we? To make a
success that will let me marry you?"

"I'm not to say so, remember," she reminded him.

"Father put no lock on my tongue, though," he reminded her in turn;
"so I'll just lay down the dictum that as soon as I succeed in any one
business deal I'm going to marry you, and I don't care whether the
commodity I handle is electricity or potatoes."

"But Frank L. Sharpe!" she exclaimed, with shocked remembrance of
certain whispered stories she had heard.

"Really, I don't see where he enters into it," persisted Bobby. "The
Brightlight Electric Company is a stock corporation, in which Mr.
Sharpe happens to own some shares; that is all."

She shook her head.

"I can't seem to like it," she told him, and rose to go.

The door opened, and Johnson, with much solemnity, though in his eyes
there lurked a twinkle, brought in a card which, with much stiff
ceremony, he handed to Bobby.

"Professor Henry H. Bates," read Bobby in some perplexity, then
suddenly his brow cleared and he laughed uproariously. "Come right in,
Biff," he called.

In response to this invitation there entered upon Agnes' vision a
short, chunky, broad-shouldered young man in a checked green suit and
red tie, who, finding himself suddenly confronted by a dazzlingly
beautiful young lady, froze instantly into speechless awkwardness.

"This is my friend and partner, Mr. Biff--Mr. Henry H. Bates--Miss
Elliston," introduced Bobby, smiling.

Agnes held out her hand, which suddenly seemed to dwindle in size as
it was clasped by the huge palm of Mr. Bates.

"I have heard so much of you from Mr. Burnit, and always nice things,"
she said, smiling at him so frankly that Mr. Bates, though his face
flushed red, instantly thawed.

"Bobby's right there with the boost," commented Mr. Bates, and then,
not being quite satisfied with that form of speech, he huskily
corrected it to: "Burnit's always handing out those pleasant words."
This form of expression seeming also to be somewhat lacking in polish,
he relapsed into more redness, and wiped the strangely moist palms of
his hands upon the sides of his coat.

"He doesn't talk about any but pleasant people," Agnes assured him.

After she had gone Mr. Bates looked dazedly at the door through which
she had passed out, then turned to Bobby.

"Carries a full line of that conversation," he commented, "but I like
to fall for it. And say! I'll bet she's g