ry!"

Gray sighed; he stepped to the door, opened it and called, "Come in,
both of you."

Arline Montague's shoulders ceased to shake, she lifted her blond head
alertly. Then she uttered a breathless exclamation.

Buddy, meanwhile, had been staring at the door, and he was surprised
when, instead of his family, he saw entering a strange man and a boy
small of stature but old of face, a boy insouciant, impudent,
swaggering. It was this boy who spoke first.

"Hello, momma!" he cried.

At sound of that voice Buddy recoiled, for it was deeper than his own.
His expression of dismay was no doubt ludicrous, at any rate the
urchin's lively eyes leaped to his face and remained there, while a
grin spread over his features.

"Hully Gee!" rumbled the lad. "Here's _another_ one that ought to be
buried!"

"Mrs. Fulton"--it was Gray speaking--"I took the liberty of asking your
son--"

Buddy Briskow heard no more, for his ears were roaring. Her son! That
voice! Being little more than a boy himself, nothing could have hurt
him more cruelly than this; his impulse was to flee the room, for his
world had come down in crashing ruin. She _had_ lied! She _had_ made a
fool of him. Gray had been right.

The others were still talking when Buddy broke in faintly. His battered
visage was white, his lips were colorless. "I reckon this--ends my
part of the entertainment," said he. Slowly he seated himself and
bowed his head in his hands, for he had become quite ill.

Arline Montague--Margie Fulton--once the blow had fallen, behaved
rather well; she took Bennie in her arms and kissed him, then in answer
to his quick look of dismay at her agitation, she patted him on the
shoulder and said: "It's all right, son. You didn't know."

"Didn't know what?" demanded the lad. "Say--" He stared angrily from
one face to another. "Is it a plant?"

"Hush! You wouldn't understand."

Bennie's suspicions now were in full play, and his gaze came to rest
upon Calvin Gray; his eyes began to blaze. "You--you big bum!" he
cried. "I might have known you were a double-crosser."

"Hush, Bennie, please!"

"I'll get you for this." The midget was quivering with rage. "You'll
look worse 'n that, you--you big bum!"

"Take my key. Here!" The mother thrust her room key into the boy's
hand. "Run along. I--I'll see you in a few minutes." To Mallow she
said: "Take him out, please. You brought him."

Mallow, flushing uncomfortably, took Bennie by the wrist and d