igeonholes of the
desk.

"I suppose," Fred brought out with effort, "that your friend is in your
confidence?"

"He always has been. I shall have to tell him about myself. I wish I
could without dragging you in."

Fred shook himself. "Don't bother about where you drag me, please," he
put in, flushing. "I don't give--" he subsided suddenly.

"I'm afraid," Thea went on gravely, "that he won't understand. He'll be
hard on you."

Fred studied the white ash of his cigarette before he flicked it off.
"You mean he'll see me as even worse than I am. Yes, I suppose I shall
look very low to him: a fifthrate scoundrel. But that only matters in so
far as it hurts his feelings."

Thea sighed. "We'll both look pretty low. And after all, we must really
be just about as we shall look to him."

Ottenburg started up and threw his cigarette into the grate. "That I
deny. Have you ever been really frank with this preceptor of your
childhood, even when you WERE a child? Think a minute, have you? Of
course not! From your cradle, as I once told you, you've been 'doing it'
on the side, living your own life, admitting to yourself things that
would horrify him. You've always deceived him to the extent of letting
him think you different from what you are. He couldn't understand then,
he can't understand now. So why not spare yourself and him?"

She shook her head. "Of course, I've had my own thoughts. Maybe he has
had his, too. But I've never done anything before that he would much
mind. I must put myself right with him,--as right as I can,--to begin
over. He'll make allowances for me. He always has. But I'm afraid he
won't for you."

"Leave that to him and me. I take it you want me to see him?" Fred sat
down again and began absently to trace the carpet pattern with his cane.
"At the worst," he spoke wanderingly, "I thought you'd perhaps let me go
in on the business end of it and invest along with you. You'd put in
your talent and ambition and hard work, and I'd put in the money
and--well, nobody's good wishes are to be scorned, not even mine. Then,
when the thing panned out big, we could share together. Your doctor
friend hasn't cared half so much about your future as I have."

"He's cared a good deal. He doesn't know as much about such things as
you do. Of course you've been a great deal more help to me than any one
else ever has," Thea said quietly. The black clock on the mantel began
to strike. She listened to the five strokes and