a darling spoilt child. Not that I'd mind much if he didn't, but
it's more convenient."

"You little wretch! I believe you've been drinking."

"So I have! So I have! But I've got an asbestos lining and could
stand another tall one. Ah!" Her eyes sparkled. "Suppose you take me
to your rooms----"

"I'll take you home----"

"You'll take me to one of those all-nighters----"

"I shall not."

"Then ta! ta! I'll go home by myself. I've had too good a time
tonight to bother with old fogies."

She started up the street and Clavering hesitated but a moment. Her
home was on East Sixty-fifth Street. Heaven only knew what might
happen to her. Moreover, although her mother was one of those women
whose insatiable demand for admiration bored him, he had no more
devoted friends than her father and her grandmother. Furthermore, his
curiosity was roused. What had the little devil been up to?

He overtook the Oglethorpe flapper and seizing her hand drew it through
his arm.

"I'll take you where you can get a sandwich," he said. "But I'll not
take you to a restaurant. Too likely to meet newspaper men."

"Anything to drink?"

"Ice cream soda."

"Good Lord!"

"You needn't drink it. But you'll get nothing else. Come along or
I'll pick you up and carry you to the nearest garage."

She trotted obediently beside him, a fragile dainty figure; carried
limply, however, and little more distinguished than flappers of
inferior origin. He led her to a rather luxurious delicatessen not far
from his hotel, kept by enterprising Italians who never closed their
doors. They seated themselves uncomfortably at the high counter, and
the sleepy attendant served them with sandwiches, then retired to the
back of the shop. He was settling himself to alert repose when Miss
Oglethorpe suddenly changed her mind and ordered a chocolate ice cream
soda. Then she ordered another, and she ate six sandwiches, a slice of
cake and two bananas.

"Great heaven!" exclaimed Clavering. "You must have the stomach of an
ostrich."

"Can eat nails and drink fire water."

"Well, you won't two years hence, and you'll look it, too."

"Oh, no I won't. I'll marry when I'm nineteen and a half and settle
down."

"I should say you were heading the other way. Where have you been
tonight?"

"Donny Farren gave a party in his rooms and passed out just as he was
about to take me home. I loosened his collar and put a pillow under
his head, but