-In my way
they would be so excellent."

"You make my mouth water, Gaspard. I don't know whether it's a Gallic
eloquence, or whether that food really would work. They might like it
for a change anyhow."

"I have many personal patrons now," Gaspard said with some pride; "all
day they send me messages, and very good tips. I think what I would
serve them they would eat.--But there is one thing--" he paused and
hesitated dejectedly, "that, what you say, takes the heart out of the
beautiful cooking."

"What thing is that, Gaspard?"

"Those calories."

"Why, Gaspard, surely you're used to working with tables now. It must
be almost second nature to you. My whole end and aim has been to serve
a balanced ration."

"I know, but the ration when he is right, he balances himself. These
tables they are like the steps in dancing--to learn and to forget. I
figure all day all night to get those calories, and then I find I have
eight--and eight are so little--lesser than I would have had without
the figuring, and if our customer he has taken himself one piece of
sweetmeat outside, he has more than made it up."

"I always have worried about what they eat between meals," Nancy
said,--"but that, of course, we can't regulate."

"Could I perhaps go to it, as you say, and cook like the _bourgeoisie_
for a week or two of trials?"

"Yes, I think you could, Gaspard," Nancy said thoughtfully. "Go to it,
as we say, and I won't interfere in any way. Maybe they'd like it.
Perhaps our food is getting to be too much like hotel food, anyway."

She knew in her heart that the gradually increasing scale of luxury on
which she had been running her cuisine had been largely due to her
desire to provide Collier Pratt with all the delicacies he loved,
without making the fact too conspicuous. The specially prepared dishes
sent out to his table had become a matter of so much comment among the
members of the staff, and the target of so much piquant satire from
Betty that she had become sensitive on the subject, especially since
Betty had access to the books, and knew in actual dollars and cents
how much this favoritism was costing her. Now that matters had been
settled between herself and her lover, she felt vaguely ashamed of
this elaboration of method. It was so simple a thing to love a man and
give him all you had, with the eyes of the world upon you, if
necessary. She felt that she handled the matter rather unworthily.

She had also a consultati