ad down and kissed him. As soon as he perceived her
intent, he cooperated enthusiastically. "What _did_ you do to Bill?"

"Oh, you don't love me for myself alone, then, but just on account of
_that_ big jerk?"

"That's right." Her artist's-model face, startlingly beautiful now,
fairly glowed.

Just then Temple Bells strolled up to them. "Morning, you two lovely
people." She hugged Hilton's arm as usual. "Shame on you, Teddy. But I
wish _I_ had the nerve to kiss him like that."

"Nerve? You?" Teddy laughed as Hilton picked Temple up and kissed her in
exactly the same fashion--he hoped!--as he had just kissed Teddy.
"You've got more nerve than an aching tooth. But as Jarve would say it,
'scat, kitten'. We're having breakfast _a la twosome_. We've got things
to talk about."

"All right for _you_," Temple said darkly, although her dazzling smile
belied her tone. That first kiss, casual-seeming as it had been, had
carried vastly more freight than any observer could perceive. "I'll hunt
Bill up and make passes at him, see if I don't. _That'll_ learn ya!"

* * * * *

Theodora and Hilton did have their breakfast _a deux_--but she did not
realize until afterward that he had not answered her question as to what
he had done to her Bill.

As has been said, Hilton had made it a prime factor of his job to become
thoroughly well acquainted with every member of his staff. He had
studied them _en masse_, in groups and singly. He had never, however,
cornered Theodora Blake for individual study. Considering the power and
the quality of her mind, and the field which was her specialty, it had
not been necessary.

Thus it was with no ulterior motives at all that, three evenings later,
he walked her cubby-hole office and tossed the stapled papers onto her
desk. "Free for a couple of minutes, Teddy? I've got troubles."

"I'll say you have." Her lovely lips curled into an expression he had
never before seen her wear--a veritable sneer. "But these are not them."
She tossed the papers into a drawer and stuck out her chin. Her face
turned as hard as such a beautiful face could. Her eyes dug steadily
into his.

Hilton--inwardly--flinched. His mind flashed backward. She too had been
working under stress, of course; but that wasn't enough. What could he
have _possibly_ done to put Teddy Blake, of all people, onto such a
warpath as this?

"I've been wondering when you were going to try to put _me_ through