come to say I was unkind and unfair over the telephone.
I've made up my mind that you are fonder of me than you know. I think
it will be all right--it was foolish of me to be too proud to take you
unless you were absolutely willing. Let me take back what I said, and
forgive me. I know it will be all right--Marjorie!"

She gave him a furious push away from her. Her eyes blazed.

"It never will be all right! It isn't going to have a chance to be!"
she told him, as angry as he had been when she called him up. "You had
your chance and you wouldn't take it. I don't want to be your wife,
and I never will be. That's all there is to say."

She took a step in the direction of the outer room. He put out a hand
to detain her.

"Marjorie! Marjorie! Don't!"

"I'm going out there, and going to keep on having the nice time I had
before you came. If you try to do anything I'll probably make a scene."

"You're going to give me one more chance," he said. "That's settled."

She looked at him defiantly.

"Try to make me," was all she said, wrenching her wrist out of his hand.

"I will," said Francis grimly.

She smiled at him brilliantly as he followed her into the room where
the others were.

"I'm afraid there isn't any way," she said sweetly.

Lucille, who had not seen Francis before, flew at him now with a
welcome which was affectionate enough to end effectually any further
ardors or defiances.

"And you're in time for your own party after all," she ended, smiling
sunnily at him and pushing him into a chair. She gave him a plate of
scallops and a fork, and the party went on as it had before. Only
Marjorie eyed him with nervous surprise. "What will he do next?" she
wondered.

CHAPTER III

What he did was to eat his scallops a la King with appetite, fraternize
cheerfully with Lucille's friend, whose name was Tommy Burke, and who
was an old acquaintance of his, speak to Marjorie occasionally in the
most natural way in the world, and altogether behave entirely as if it
really was his party, and he was very glad that there was a party. It
is to be said that he ignored Logan rather more than politeness
demanded. But Logan was so used to being petted that he never knew it.
Marjorie did, and lavished more attention on him defiantly to try to
make up for it. She thought that the evening never would end.

After the food was finished it was to be expected that Lucille would go
to the piano, and play som