let them alone."

"Not young Wappinger!"

"What harm is he doing? I admit that the present situation has its
foolish aspects from your point of view and mine; but I can think of
things a great deal worse. At least you know there is nothing
clandestine going on; and young people who have the virtue of being open
have the very first quality of all. If you let them alone--or leave them
to sympathetic management--you will probably find that they will outgrow
the whole thing, as children outgrow an inordinate love of sweets."

There was a brief pause, during which he stood looking down at her, a
smile something like that of amusement hovering about his lips.

"So that, in your judgment," he began again, "the whole thing resolves
itself into a matter of discretion. But now--if you'll pardon me for
asking anything so blunt--how am I to know that you would be discreet?"

For an instant she lifted her eyes to his, as if begging to be spared
the reply.

"If it's not a fair question--" he began.

"It _is_ a fair question," she admitted; "only it's one I find difficult
to answer. If it wasn't important--urgently important--that I should
obtain work, I should prefer not to answer it at all. I must tell you
that I haven't always been discreet. I've had to learn discretion--by
bitter lessons."

"I'm not asking about the past," he broke in, hastily, "but about the
future."

"About the future one cannot say; one can only try."

"Then suppose we try it?"

His own words took him by surprise, for he had meant to be more
cautious; but now that they were uttered he was ready to stand by them.
Once more, as it seemed to him, he could detect the light of relief
steal into her expression, but she made no response.

"Suppose we try it?" he said again.

"It's for you to decide," she answered, quietly. "My position places me
entirely at the disposal of any one who is willing to employ me."

"So that this is better than nothing," he said, in some disappointment
at her lack of enthusiasm.

"I shouldn't put it in that way," she smiled; "but then I shouldn't put
it in any way, until I saw whether or not I gave you satisfaction. You
must remember you're engaging an untried person; and, as I've told you,
I have nothing in the way of recommendations."

"We will assume that you don't need them."

"It's a good deal to assume; but since you're good enough to do it, I
can't help being grateful. Is there any particular time when you woul