ill time.

As head of his particular woolen concern, Johnson Boller could well
spend the whole morning away from the office, so that it gained him the
chance of hammering the boy to a jelly and ousting him from Johnson
Boller's temporary home. Mr. Boller, therefore, sighed a little in
disappointment as he said:

"If you insist. I'd rather put the kid through his first paces naked, of
course, because then one----"

"Yes, some other time, doubtless," Anthony said hastily. "Get along now,
Johnson and dress."

They were alone again, Anthony and David.

David's color was decidedly higher, and his eyes burned with a mixture
of fright and indignation, while the bathrobe was clutched defensively
about his throat. Anthony himself had lost his pallor, and on his high,
thoughtful forehead a glistening glaze had come into being. He dabbed it
away with his handkerchief and glanced fearfully toward the door.

"This is--er--most embarrassing!" he breathed.

"It is for me!" said the apparent David. "What's the matter with that
man?"

"He has his own ideas about most things," Anthony said with a shudder.
"However, he is out of the way now and--er--the next thing is to get you
out, also."

"Well?"

"I am sorry, Miss Mary, truly sorry if it displeases you," Anthony went
on carefully; "but there is really only one way for you to leave quite
safely. This house, you see, is rather different from other houses. It
would be possible to send for your--ah--proper clothing and have you
leave as the doubtless prepossessing young woman that you are; but to do
that you would have to pass through the office downstairs, and the
elevator men would know that you came from this apartment."

"Ah?" said Mary, without expression.

"And inasmuch as every one here knows that I'm not married, and that I
have no female relatives or even friends of your age, the--ah--very
painful inference----"

"I see," said Mary, as he paused and flushed. "Go on."

She was not exactly helpful, sitting there and staring at Anthony with
her great, deep-blue eyes. They were very beautiful eyes, doubtless, but
they caused Anthony's mind to stagger as he labored on.

"There are the back stairs, of course, but to pass them it would be
necessary to meet servants and employees of the house in half a dozen
places; I believe there is even a gate-keeper of some sort below
and--oh, the back stairs would not be at all possible!" said Anthony as
he pushed the button for W