ght I was to put this thing through in my own way?"

"Oh, quite so; quite so."

Claude's thrust went home when he said, "I don't see why _you_ should be
in such a hurry about it." He followed this by a question that Thor
found equally pertinent: "Why the devil are you?"

"Because I thought you were."

"Well, even if I am, I don't see any reason for rushing things."

"Oh, would you call it--rushing?" He threw off, carelessly, "I hear you
go a good deal to the Darlings'!"

"Not any oftener than they ask me."

"Well, then, they ask you pretty often, don't they?"

"I suppose they do it when they feel inclined. I haven't counted the
number of occasions."

"No; but I dare say Rosie has."

"I'm not a fool, Thor. I don't talk to Rosie about the Darlings."

"Nor to the Darlings about her. That's the point. At least, it's one of
the two points; and both are important. It's no more unjust for Rosie
Fay to know nothing of Elsie Darling than it is for Elsie Darling to
know nothing of Rosie Fay."

"Oh, rot, Thor!" Claude sprang to his feet, knocking off the ash of his
cigar into the fireplace. "What do you think I'm up to?"

"I don't know. And what I'm afraid of is that _you_ don't know."

"If you think I mean to leave Rosie in the lurch--"

"I don't think you _mean_ it--no!"

"Then, if you think I'd do it--"

"The surest way not to do it is to--do the other thing."

"I'll do the other thing when I'm ready--not before."

"Humph! That's just what I thought would happen."

"And this is just what _I_ thought would happen--that because you'd put
up that confounded money you'd try to make me feel I was bought. Well,
I'm not bought. See? Rather than be bribed into doing what I mean to do
anyhow I'll not do it at all."

"Oh, if you mean to do it _anyhow_--"

Claude rounded on his brother indignantly. "Say, Thor, do you think I'm
going to be a damn scoundrel?"

"Do you think you'd be a damn scoundrel if you didn't put it through?"

"I should be worse. Even a damn scoundrel can be called a man, and I
should have forfeited the name. There! Does that satisfy you?"

"Up to a point--yes."

Claude sniffed. "You're such a queer chap, Thor, that if I've satisfied
you up to a point I ought to be content."

"Oh, I'm all right, Claude. I only hoped that you'd be able to go on
with it for some better reason than just--just not to be a scoundrel."

"Good Lord, old chap! I'm crazy about it. If Rosie wouldn't hum and haw