t the dining room. The men
stayed, and by the very firmness with which the door closed behind us, I
knew that Dallas and Max were bringing out the bottles that Takahiro had
hidden. I was seething. When Aunt Selina indicated a desire to go over
the house (it was natural that she should want to; it was her house, in
a way) I excused myself for a minute and flew back to the dining room.

It was as I had expected. Jim hadn't cheered perceptibly, and the
rest were patting him on the back, and pouring things out for him, and
saying, "Poor old Jim" in the most maddening way. And the Harbison man
was looking more and more puzzled, and not at all hilarious.

I descended on them like a thunderbolt.

"That's it," I cried shrewishly, with my back against the door. "Leave
her to me, all of you, and pat each other on the back, and say it's gone
splendidly! Oh, I know you, every one!" Mr. Harbison got up and pulled
out a chair, but I couldn't sit; I folded my arms on the back. "After a
while, I suppose, you'll slip upstairs, the four of you, and have your
game." They looked guilty. "But I will block that right now. I am going
to stay--here. If Aunt Selina wants me, she can find me--here!"

The first indication those men had that Mr. Harbison didn't know the
state of affairs was when he turned and faced them.

"Mrs. Wilson is quite right," he said gravely. "We're a selfish lot. If
Miss Caruthers is a responsibility, let us share her."

"To arms!" Jim said, with an affectation of lightness, as they put their
glasses down, and threw open the door. Dal's retort, "Whose?" was
lost in the confusion, and we went into the library. On the way Dallas
managed to speak to me.

"If Harbison doesn't know, don't tell him," he said in an undertone.
"He's a queer duck, in some ways; he mightn't think it funny."

"Funny," I choked. "It's the least funny thing I ever experienced.
Deceiving that Harbison man isn't so bad--he thinks me crazy, anyhow.
He's been staring his eyes out at me--"

"I don't wonder. You're really lovely tonight, Kit, and you look like a
vixen."

"But to deceive that harmless old lady--well, thank goodness, it's nine,
and she leaves in an hour or so."

But she didn't and that's the story.

Chapter IV. THE DOOR WAS CLOSED

It was infuriating to see how much enjoyment every one but Jim and
myself got out of the situation. They howled with mirth over the
feeblest jokes, and when Max told a story without any point wh