onth part of a
counterfeit Russian rouble."

She regarded him curiously. "Are you as cheerful as all that just
because you're getting back at Mr. Mix? And maybe spoiling his boom
for Mayor?"

Henry said that he was all as cheerful as that; yea, more so. He was
merely snagging the rope which had already been paid out; and it was
glory in his pocket, because so many people before him had found the
rope twitched out of their hands. She thought that this indication of
a vengeful spirit was out of place in his character, but she forgave
it, because at least it was founded on humour. And when he took her to
the train, she forgave it on another score, because she realized that
not since last autumn had she seen him so fundamentally boyish and
irresponsible. She was glad that so much of his spontaneity had come
back to him, but at the same time she was puzzled, for it didn't seem
altogether like Henry, as she had analyzed him, to gloat so thoroughly
over mere retaliation, humourous or not.

On Monday, he met her at the station, and as soon as she saw him, she
remarked again the extraordinary uplift of his mood. She had read the
_Herald_, and taken deep enjoyment from it; but Henry had a hundred
unpublished incidents to tell her,--one of them concerned his own
escape from possible complications by closing the Orpheum, issuing
passes good for the following week; and spending the day in the
library of the Citizens Club--and in her amusement, and also in her
happiness to be back with him, she didn't notice that Henry was
driving her to the Orpheum instead of to their apartment.

"Why, what are we stopping here for, dear?"

Henry's laugh had a pronounced overtone. "To meet Mr. Archer. I
thought you'd like to be in on it."

"In on what?" She caught his arm. "Henry! Has something happened? Has
it?" She stared at him, and as she recognized what might be hidden
behind his expression of exquisite, unreserved joy, she was almost as
frightened as if he had looked despairing instead of joyful.

"It wasn't settled until last week," he said, still with that wide,
speculative smile, like a baby's. "It _really_ wasn't settled until
Saturday. And it won't be _positively_ settled until we've seen
Archer.... And there he is waiting for us! I couldn't get him
before--he was in the country for the week-end."

* * * * *

With no clear recollection of how she got there, she was sitting in
Henry's t