k you understand Sally as well as I
do. Of course, like the rest of us, she falls a long way short of
perfection, and--though it's a difficult subject--there's no doubt that
her conduct in leading Gregory on while he was still engaged to you was
hardly quite correct. After all, however, you owe her something for
that."

"It isn't very hard to forgive her for it," confessed Agatha.

"Well, I want you to understand Sally. Right or wrong, she's fond of
Gregory. Of course, I've told you this already, but I must try to make
it clear how that fact bears upon the business in hand. Sally certainly
fought for him, and there's no doubt that one could find fault with
several things she did; but the point is that she's evidently determined
on making the most of him now she has got him. In some respects, at
least, she's absolutely straight--one hundred cents to the dollar is
what Allen says of her--and although you might perhaps not have expected
this, I believe it would hurt her horribly to feel that Gregory was
squandering money that didn't strictly belong to him."

"Then you mean to make her understand what he is doing?"

"No," replied Mrs. Hastings; "I want you to do it. I've reasons for
believing that your influence would go further with her than mine. For
one thing, I fancy she is feeling rather ashamed of herself."

Agatha looked thoughtful. She had certainly not credited Sally with
possessing any fine sense of honor, but she was willing to accept Mrs.
Hastings' assurance.

"The situation," she pointed out, "is rather a delicate one. You wish to
expose Gregory's conduct to the girl he is going to marry, though, as
you admit, the explanation will probably be painful to her. Can't you
understand that the course suggested is a particularly difficult and
repugnant one--to me?"

"I've no doubt of it," admitted Mrs. Hastings. "Still, I believe it must
be adopted--for several reasons. In the first place, I think that if we
can pull Gregory up now we shall save him from involving himself
irretrievably. After all, perhaps, you owe him the effort. Then I think
that we all owe something to Harry, and we can, at least, endeavor to
carry out his wishes. He told what was to be done with his possessions
in a will, and he never could have anticipated that Gregory would
dissipate them as he is doing."

The least reason, as she had foreseen, proved convincing to Agatha, and
she made a sign of concurrence.

"If you will drive me over