he may do that. She can get one of these officers to fix it, very
likely. You know how they are, these French officers. Anything for a
pretty young lady."

"She wouldn't do that," said Mr. Spokesly with a troubled air. "She's a
friend of Mrs. Dainopoulos, remember."

"I remember all right. But plenty of women do that sort of business all
the time in war. Every war the same. Something, I dunno what you call
it, gets 'em. They go crazy, a little. They like the uniforms and the
tom-te-tom-tom-tom of the music. You know what I mean. I tell her she
oughta get a job in Stein's. But she don't like anybody to tell her
anything. She ain't nothin' to me. Her mother...! Humph!" And Mr.
Dainopoulos flicked his thumbs outward.

"What I told her was, if she did get aboard, she'd have a trip down to
the Islands and back. But she don't understand."

"She don't understand nothin' only buyin' clothes an' thinkin' she's one
of these here grand duchesses in Russia," snapped Mr. Dainopoulos.
"Don't you take any notice of her nonsense stuff."

"Well, I'm supposed to be disinterested in this," said Mr. Spokesly with
a slight smile. "I mean, I will say she's been straight about it."

"About what?" said Mr. Dainopoulos, somewhat mystified.

"That sweetheart she had, who went away."

"Oh, him! He's gone."

"She reckons he's in Athens."

"She reckons anything she hears and she can believe anything she wants.
It don't hurt nobody."

"That's right, but what do you think?"

"Nothin'. What's it got to do with me? I'd be a fine sorta fool to mix
up with her business, me doing business with the English Army, eh?
Whatta you think I am?"

"She's neutral, I suppose."

"Yes, but _he_ ain't. He was assistant vice-consul and he used to go
aboard the ships and talk his English. He was in London years. Talks
English better than you do. And he was sendin' reports all the time in
the Consul's bag." Mr. Dainopoulos gave a curt chuckle. "Nothin' to do
with me. They thought he was a Y. M. C. A. feller. Made them laugh. And
they used to tell him where they been and where they was goin'.... Yes,
he was all over the place. She's crazy about him, I know. But he's
forgot all about her long ago. You no need to worry about him."

Mr. Spokesly was not worrying about him. One does not worry about rivals
who are in all probability three or four hundred miles beyond the battle
line. But he was pained at Mr. Dainopoulos's estimate of Evanthia. He
felt sorry