obe.

"Of course you would," said Garry. "Though it's hardly the point and
difficult to remember when Brian is in a hurry and has to send out a
boy to buy him a collar."

In the matter of money, to take up another point, Kenny felt that his
son had a peculiar genius for always having money somewhere. Brian had
of necessity been saved considerable inconvenience by a tendency to
economy and resource. As usual, if anybody suffered it was Kenny.

"For 'tis myself, dear lad," he finished, "that runs the scale a bit.
Faith, I'm that impecunious at times I'm beside myself with fret and
worry."

Brian steeled himself against the disarming gentleness of the change of
mood. It was inevitably strategic. Wily and magnetic Kenny always had
his way. It was plain he thought to have it now with every instinct up
in arms at the thought of Brian's going.

"I've less genius, less debt and less money," conceded Brian, "but I've
a lot more capacity for worry and I'm tired of always being on my
guard. I'm tired of bookkeeping--"

"Bookkeeping!"

"Bookkeeping lies!" said Brian bluntly. "I've lied myself sometimes,
Kenny, to keep from denying a lie of yours."

The nature of the thrust was unexpected. Kenny changed color and
resented the hyper-critical word. To his mind it was neither filial
nor aesthetic.

"Lies!" he repeated indignantly, regarding his son with a look of
paralyzed inquiry. "Lies!"

"Lies!" insisted Brian. "You know precisely what I mean."

"I suppose, Kenny," said Garry fairly, "that a certain amount of
romancing is for you the wine of existence. Your wit's insistent and
if a thing presents itself, tempting and warmly colored, you can't
refuse it expression simply because it isn't true. You must make a
good story. I've sometimes thought you'd have a qualm or two of
conscience if you didn't, as if it's an artistic obligation you've
ignored--to delight somebody's ears, even for a moment. Perhaps you
don't realize how far afield you travel. But it's pretty hard on
Brian."

It was the thing, as Garry knew, that taxed Brian's patience to the
utmost, plunged him into grotesque dilemmas and kept him keyed to an
abnormal alertness of memory. Always his sense of loyalty revolted at
the notion of denying any tale that Kenny told.

Now Kenny's hurt stare left Brian unrepentant. He lost his temper
utterly. Thereafter he blazed out a hot-headed summary of book-keeping
that made his father gasp.

Ken