culprit has got to submit, and that with good grace. He has got to
fall on his knees before me. And he'll come to it. I have made some
inquiries; I am on his tracks; and I know that he has just about reached
the end of his rope. He'll come, depend upon it he'll come around, and
when he does he will whine. Then I am going to take him into the
business. In this way we will see whether it is humanly possible to make
a useful man out of him. If I can, and if he sticks, I'll call him into
the office, tell him the whole story, make everything as clear as day to
him, and then offer to take him in as a partner in the firm. You have
got to admit that he will be a made man if he becomes my partner. He
will have sense enough himself to see this, and as sure as you are
living, he will first kiss my hand and then eat out of it for the
kindness I have shown him. And once this has all been put through, I
will bind him to us more firmly than ever by having him marry
Philippina."

A wry smile disfigured Theresa's face. "I see, so, so," she said in a
sing-song tone. "You will have him marry Philippina. I take it that you
feel that she will be hard to marry, and that the man who does marry her
will have his hands full. Well, that's not a bad idea."

"In this way," continued Jason Philip, without detecting the scorn in
Theresa's words, "the account between the culprit and myself will be
settled. He will become a decent member of society, the money will
remain in the family, and Philippina will be cared for."

"And suppose he does not come; suppose he does not fall on his knees;
suppose you have made a miscalculation. What then?" Whether Jason Philip
himself believed what he had said Theresa could not determine. Nor had
she the slightest desire to enlighten herself on this point. She did not
look him in the face, but contented herself with letting her eyes rest
on his hands.

"Well--there will be time then to change my plans," said Jason Philip,
in a tone of peeved vexation. "Leave it to me. I have turned the whole
situation over in my mind; I have omitted not the slightest detail. I
know men, and I have never made a mistake in judging them. _Mahlzeit!_"

With that he went out.

Theresa remained seated for a while, her arms folded across her breast.
Then she got up, and walked over to the door that opened on to the
court. Suddenly she stopped as if rooted to the sill: she caught sight
of Philippina, who was then sitting by the window