p teasing you. Because you blush so prettily.
But--but _has_ he?"

"Why, of course not. I've always known James. Ever since I can remember.
He's never shown any interest in me that he ought not to,--if that's
what you mean. He's always been _very_ respectful; in a perfectly--a
perfectly friendly way."

She was scarlet and stammering. But Grimm apparently did not notice her
confusion.

"Respectful," he repeated musingly. "In a perfectly friendly way. Surely
we couldn't ask for anything more than that. Thank you, little girl.
That's all I wanted to know. Run along."

Casting a puzzled look at Grimm and then at Frederik--who, since she
first entered the room had been seated near the window, deeply absorbed
in a book,--Kathrien returned to her work in the other part of the
house.

Grimm's kind eyes had never for an instant left her troubled face, nor
had they failed to note her evident relief at escaping from the room. As
the door closed behind her, the kindly look faded from the old eyes,
leaving them hard and cold. The firm jaw set more tightly. Yet, as he
turned toward Frederik, there was no trace in his tone of anything but
pleasant banter.

"There, Fritzy!" said he. "You see James was only 'respectful to her in
a perfectly friendly way.' I hope you are quite satisfied?"

"I am," answered Frederik. "Quite. In fact I'm every bit as satisfied as
you are, uncle."

Grimm sat very still for a moment or so, staring blindly into space, his
head on his breast. Then, with a sigh, he roused himself. Reaching for
the telephone he called up his office.

"Send Mr. Hartmann over here," he commanded.

He set down the instrument and resumed his blank stare into nothingness.
Frederik was once more wholly engrossed in the book he was not reading.
Hartmann broke in upon the strained silence.

"You sent for me, sir?" he asked, his breezy bigness waking the still
room to life.

"Yes," replied Peter Grimm. "James, it has occurred to me--to ask--it
has occurred to me that--James, please tell me your reason for asking a
few minutes ago to be transferred to Florida?"

James made no immediate reply. He seemed ransacking his mind for the
right words. Grimm eyed him closely, asking with sudden directness:

"Was it on account of my little girl?"

"Yes, sir," replied Hartmann.

The secretary's confusion had fled. Calm, self-contained, flinching not
at all from the shrewd, searching eyes that were fixed on his own, he
stood awai