ld man.

"I don't know what you're talking about. I said I couldn't
understand your getting so excited about the fellow's affairs and
that you seemed to take a mighty sudden interest in him."

"Well, what if I _do_?" she screamed. "Haven't I a right to be
interested in what I choose? I've got to be interested in
_something_, haven't I? _You_ don't make life very interesting, do
you? Do you think it's interesting to spend the summer in this
horrible old house with the paper falling off the walls and our
rotten old furniture that I work my hands off trying to make look
decent and can't, and every other girl I know at the seashore with
motor-cars and motor-boats, or getting a trip abroad and buying
her clothes in Paris? What do _you_ offer to interest me?"

The unfortunate man hung his head. "I don't see what all that has
to do with it----"

She seemed to leap at him. "You _don't_? You _don't_?"

"No, I don't. And I don't see why you're so crazy to please young
Corliss about this business unless you're infatuated with him. I
had an idea--and I was pleased with it, too, because Richard's a
steady fellow--that you were just about engaged to Richard
Lindley, and----"

"Engaged!" she cried, repeating the word with bitter contempt.
"Engaged! You don't suppose I'll marry him unless I want to, do
you? I will if it suits me. I won't if it suits me not to;
understand that! I don't consider myself engaged to anybody, and
you needn't either. What on earth has that got to do with your
keeping Richard Lindley from doing what Mr. Corliss wants him to?"

"I'm not keeping him from anything. He didn't say----"

"He did!" stormed Cora. "He said he would if you went into it. He
told me this afternoon, an hour ago."

"Now wait," said Madison. "I talked this over with Richard two
days ago----"

Cora stamped her foot again in frantic exasperation. "I'm talking
about this afternoon!"

"Two days ago," he repeated doggedly; "and we came to the same
conclusion: it won't do. He said he couldn't go into it unless he
went over there to Italy--and saw for himself just what he was
putting his money into, and Corliss had told him that it couldn't
be done; that there wasn't time, and showed him a cablegram from
his Italian partner saying the secret had leaked out and that
they'd have to form the company in Naples and sell the stock over
there if it couldn't be done here within the next week. Corliss
said he had to ask for an immediate answ