e.

Being so fair, he reddens easily. He looks much less grown-up and
reliable than he had seemed that first morning at the bank. I wonder how
this is.

He looked at the apron and said: "Well, if you must call her your
mistress--I don't think it's at all--but, never mind that now--about
Miss Million."

"Don't tell me all her money's suddenly lost!" I cried in a quick
fright.

The manager shook his fair head. "Oh, nothing of that kind. No.
Something almost as difficult to tell you, though. But I felt I had to
do it, Miss Lovelace."

His fair face set itself into a sort of conscientious mask. "I turned to
you instead of to her because--well, because for obvious reasons you
were the one to turn to.

"Miss Million is a young--a young lady who seems at present to have more
money than friends. It is natural that, just now, she should be making a
number of new acquaintances. It is also natural that she should not
always know which of these acquaintances are a wise choice----"

"Oh, I know what you mean," I interposed, for I thought he was going on
in that rather sermony style until Million came home. "You're going to
warn me that Mr. Burke, whom you met here, isn't a fit person for
Mill--for Miss Million to know."

Mr. Brace looked relieved, yet uncomfortable and a little annoyed all at
once.

He said: "I don't know that I should have put it in exactly those words,
Miss Lovelace."

"No, but that's the gist of it all," I said rather shortly. Men are so
roundabout. They take ages hinting at things that can be put into one
short sentence. Then they're angry because some woman takes a short cut
and translates.

"Isn't that what you mean, Mr. Brace?"

"If I had a young sister," said this roundabout Mr. Brace, "I certainly
do not think that I should care to allow her to associate with a man
like that."

"Like what?" I said.

"Like this Mr. Burke."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't think he is a very desirable acquaintance for a young and
inexperienced girl."

"How well do you know him?" I asked.

"Oh! I don't know him at all. I don't wish to know him," said Mr. Brace
rather stiffly. "I had only seen him once before I met him in Miss
Million's room here the other day. I was really annoyed to find him
here."

I persisted. "Why?"

"Because the man's not--well, not the sort of man your brother (if you
have one) would be too pleased to find you making friends with, Miss
Lovelace."

"Never mind all these