corner of
the living-room.

"Nolan, you could never guess what is going on."

"No," he admitted, with a reminiscent smile. "So many odd things have
been going on lately that I confess my inability as a guesser."

"Listen to this. Eveley's sister has fallen in love with some crazy
aviator, and is going to elope with him. And she wants Burton to get a
divorce so she can marry him."

Nolan was plainly dumfounded at this revelation.

"And that is not the worst. She is going to desert those two children,
and Eveley--You know Eve. She says she will be the willing sacrifice to
save the honor of the family, and has decided to marry Burton herself, to
be a mother to Winifred's children."

"Preposterous!" gasped Nolan, looking into her flushed face for symptoms
of delirium.

"True," came the grim answer. "But we must never allow such a
bloodcurdling thing to happen. It wouldn't be right. I want you to go
right over to Eveley's as fast as you can, and make her marry you. You
can pretend you do not know anything about this, and sweep her right off
her feet. Get her promise before she knows what is going on, and marry
her before she realizes it. Then perhaps Winifred will come to her senses
and not do this outrageous thing."

"But, Kitty--"

"You love Eveley, don't you?"

"Yes, of course, but--"

"Then do you call yourself a man, and yet stand idly by and see the woman
you love sacrifice her life for her sister's honor--and--er babies--and--"

"And husband," he said gloomily. "I could stand the honor and the babies,
but I object to the husband."

"Of course you do. I have my car here, and I will take you right over to
Eveley's and you can settle it immediately."

"I do not believe I could propose before you, Kitty," he objected shyly.
"I could not think of the words."

"I shall wait in the car until it is over. Then I shall come sauntering
up later on and wish you joy, etc., and Eveley need not know I had a
thing to do with it. Just you get her promise, and I shall be witness for
you. If she tries to back out we shall sue her for breach of promise."

"All right," he decided suddenly. "We certainly can not submit to any
such nonsense as this. Let's go."

All the way to the Cloud Cote they kept up hearty agreement that the idea
was utterly wild and preposterous, and that Nolan should never stand for
it. As she stopped the car, two doors down where Eveley could not see
from her window, Kitty said:

"Arnold and