looked at Roseleaf, "we need still another."

The color mounted to the cheeks of the young novelist, as he understood
the thought that prompted this statement.

"Not on my account--I would much rather not," he stammered.

"You will kindly leave that to my judgment," replied Archie,
impressively. "Remember, you are not the instructor here, but the pupil.
There must be some one else, Isaac."

Mr. Leveson hesitated. He was mentally going over the rooms upstairs and
taking stock of what was in them.

"There are two girls," he said, at last, "who used to work in one of
the dry goods stores, but you wouldn't want them. They are very strict,
and they dress plainly,--and I am afraid the other ladies wouldn't like
to associate with them."

Mr. Weil grew vastly irritated by this statement. He brought his hand
down on the table with a bang.

"The other ladies!" he echoed, angrily. "When you tell Mrs. Delavan and
Jenny Pelham that you want them to dine with us, you know that ends it!
As to these shop girls, what do you mean by calling them _strict_? What
would a _strict_ girl be doing in _this_ house?"

Mr. Leveson cringed before his interrogator and made the old, imploring
movement with his hands.

"Let me explain," he said. "These girls came here a few weeks ago with
some traveling men. They took dinner, but Adolf says neither drank a
drop of wine. A few days later they came again, with other escorts, and
the same thing occurred."

"Why did you let them in?" demanded Weil.

"Because I knew the gentlemen."

Archie started to say something, but checked himself.

"And after that they came alone and asked to see me," pursued Isaac,
humbly. "They said they had been thrown out of work, and thought there
might be an opportunity to do something here, like waiting on the
guests. And while we were talking, two old customers of the house called
to dine, alone, and asked me if they could get some one to share the
meal with them. And, it seemed quite providential--"

Archie stopped the voluble speech by striking his hands sharply
together.

"Enough!" he said. "When the dinner is ready send one of them in. That
will make the three we need."

In half an hour the dinner was ready to be served. Then Isaac came with
the information that the girls refused to be separated.

"What a nuisance!" exclaimed Weil. "Well, send both of them, then. We'll
take care of them, somehow."

CHAPTER XIII.

A QUESTION OF COLOR.

Th