happily.

"And I should like to know if you have any engagement for to-morrow
night?"

"Oh, Mr. Bennet!"

"Have you?"

"Of course, I haven't!" Arethusa considered it a foregone conclusion
that if he wanted her for anything, she was free.

"Then will you go to see the 'Earl and His Girl' with me?"

"What is that?"

"A musical comedy, and quite a good one, I've heard them say."

"Is.... Is it the Theater?"

"Why.... Yes! Certainly!" This surprised him just a bit.

"Oh, Mr. Bennet!" exclaimed Arethusa once more.

"I take it, then, you'll go with me?"

"You just bet! I should just love it! Why, I've never been to the
Theater in all my life! Not even to the Opera House in Hawesville!"
Hawesville was the county-seat.

Mr. Bennet laughed outright then. He had been smiling right straight
through this conversation, to the deep interest of his blonde
stenographer, who smiled herself in sympathy for the laugh. She took a
frank pride in Mr. Bennet's popularity, his many invitations and his
telephone calls. It was something to be stenographer to the very
handsomest man in the fourteen-story building without his being one of
the very nicest to work for, as well.

"That surely makes it all the better," said Mr. Bennet, "and I'll call
for you about eight." Then he added, being what he was, "I was rather
afraid I wasn't going to be allowed this great pleasure; I was sure one
of those many youths that surrounded you the other evening had been
before me."

"Well, they haven't. And I'm awfully glad they weren't, because I would
so much rather go with you."

It was only the truth which Arethusa spoke, just as she had been taught
it was best to do on every occasion.

Mr. Bennet was still smiling when he hung up the receiver and turned to
the blonde stenographer. "Please get me two seats for to-morrow night
at the Masonic, Miss Ford. You'd better telephone first to see what
they have, and then you can go after them." He looked up at the tall
clock between the office windows. "And you needn't come back any more
to-night, unless you yourself have something to do," he added kindly,
"because these letters were all, and I can mail them. Just bring the
tickets with you to-morrow."

Miss Ford, with a beaming face, sat down to telephone for the seats
which were to introduce Arethusa to the world of the theater, while Mr.
Bennet busied himself with the signing of his letters.

It was a kindly Providence that spared Arethusa t