_Yardsley_ (_with a convulsive gasp_). Bob? Jennie! You--er--you misun--(_JENNIE, with a smile of joy and an ecstatic glance at YARDSLEY, dances from the room to attend the door. YARDSLEY throws himself into a chair._) Well, I'll be teetotally--Awh! It's too dead easy proposing to somebody you don't know you are proposing to. What a kettle of fish this is, to be sure! Oh, pshaw! that woman can't be serious. She must know I didn't mean it for her. But if she doesn't, good Lord! what becomes of me? (_Rises, and paces up and down the room nervously. After a moment he pauses before the glass._) I ought to be considerably dishevelled by this. I feel as if I'd been drawn through a knot-hole--or--or dropped into a stone-crusher--that's it, a stone-crusher--a ten-million horse-power stone-crusher. Let's see how you look, you poor idiot. [_As he is stroking his hair and rearranging his tie he talks in pantomime at himself in the glass. In a moment JENNIE ushers MR. JACK BARLOW into the room._ _Jennie._ Miss Andrews will be down in a minute, sir. [_BARLOW takes arm-chair and sits gazing ahead of him. Neither he nor YARDSLEY perceives the other. JENNIE tiptoes to one side, and, tossing a kiss at YARDSLEY, retires._ _Barlow._ Now for it. I shall leave this house to-day the happiest or the most miserable man in creation, and I rather think the odds are in my favor. Why shouldn't they be? Egad! I can very well understand how a woman could admire me. I admire myself, rather. I confess candidly that I do not consider myself half bad, and Dorothy has always seemed to feel that way herself. In fact, the other night in the Perkinses' conservatory she seemed to be quite ready for a proposal. I'd have done it then and there if it hadn't been for that confounded Bob Yardsley-- _Yardsley_ (_turning sharply about_). Eh? Somebody spoke my name. A man, too. Great Heavens! I hope Jennie's friend Hicks isn't here. I don't want to have a scene with Hicks. (_Discovering BARLOW._) Oh--ah--why--hullo, Barlow! You here? _Barlow_ (_impatiently, aside_). Hang it! Yardsley's here too! The man's always turning up when he's not wanted. (_Aloud._) Ah! why, Bob, how are you? What're you doing here? _Yardsley._ What do you suppose--tuning the piano? I'm here because I want to be. And you? _Barlow._ For the same reason that you are. _Yardsley_ (_aside_). Gad! I hope not. (_Aloud._) Indeed? The great mind act again? Run in the same channel, and all that? Glad to see you. (_Aside._) May the saints forgive me that fib! But this fellow must be got rid of. _Barlow_ (_embarrassed_). So'm I. Always glad to see myself--I mean you--anywhere. Won't you sit down? _Yardsley._ Thanks. Very kind of you, I'm sure. (_Aside._) He seems very much at home. Won't I sit down?--as if he'd inherited the chairs! Humph! I'll show him. _Barlow._ What say? _Yardsley._ I--ah--oh, I was merely remarking that I thought it was rather pleasant out to-day.