" He shrugged his shoulders. "Well,
dear, this is not a very cheery evening for you. I did not bring you
out to see accidents."

"Frank," the girl said suddenly, "I seem to know that man's face--the
man who was on the pavement, I mean--"

She stopped with a shudder.

"It seemed a little familiar to me," said Frank thoughtfully.

"Didn't he pass us about twenty minutes ago?"

"He may have done," said Frank, "but I have no particular recollection
of it. My impression of him goes much farther back than this evening.
Now where could I have seen him?"

"Let's talk about something else," she said quickly. "I haven't a very
long time. What am I to do about your uncle?"

He laughed.

"I hardly know what to suggest," he said. "I am very fond of Uncle John,
and I hate to run counter to his wishes, but I am certainly not going to
allow him to take my love affairs into his hands. I wish to Heaven you
had never met him!"

She gave a little gesture of despair.

"It is no use wishing things like that, Frank. You see, I knew your
uncle before I knew you. If it had not been for your uncle I should not
have met you."

"Tell me what happened," he asked. He looked at his watch. "You had
better come on to Victoria," he said, "or I shall lose my train."

He hailed a taxicab, and on the way to the station she told him of all
that had happened.

"He was very nice, as he always is, and he said nothing really which was
very horrid about you. He merely said he did not want me to marry you
because he did not think you'd make a suitable husband. He said that
Jasper had all the qualities and most of the virtues."

Frank frowned.

"Jasper is a sleek brute," he said viciously.

She laid her hand on his arm.

"Please be patient," she said. "Jasper has said nothing whatever to me
and has never been anything but most polite and kind."

"I know that variety of kindness," growled the young man. "He is one of
those sly, soft-footed sneaks you can never get to the bottom of. He is
worming his way into my uncle's confidence to an extraordinary extent.
Why, he is more like a son to Uncle John than a beastly secretary."

"He has made himself necessary," said the girl, "and that is halfway to
making yourself wealthy."

The little frown vanished from Frank's brow, and he chuckled.

"That is almost an epigram," he said. "What did you tell uncle?"

"I told him that I did not think that his suggestion was possible and
that I did not care