"Mr. Samuelson's jewels," he complained, "were like his wines, all sparkle and outside--no body to them. Two thousand pounds indeed! Why, we shall be lucky if we clear four hundred!" The man's coolness absolutely took me aback. For a moment I simply stared at him. "He'll be round to see you this morning, sometime, about my character," Mr. Parker proceeded. "He has already paid me a visit," I said grimly. "He was round at ten o'clock this morning." "You don't say!" Mr. Parker murmured. He looked at me hopefully. His expression was like nothing else but the wistful smile of a fat boy expecting good news. "Oh, of course I told him the usual thing!" I admitted. "I told him you were a close personal friend; a sort of amateur millionaire; a person of the highest respectability--everything you ought to be, in fact. He went away perfectly satisfied and determined to have nothing to do with the guest theory." Mr. Parker patted me on the shoulder. "My boy," he said, "I knew I could rely on you." "I propose," I continued, elaborating upon the scheme that had come into my head on the way, "to do more than this for you. I am asking some friends to dine to-night whom I wish you and your daughter to meet. You will then be able to refer to other reputable acquaintances in London besides myself." Eve turned round in her chair to listen. Mr. Parker, whose first expression had been one of unfeigned delight, suddenly paused. "My boy," he expostulated, "I don't want to take advantage of you. Do you think it's quite playing the game on your friends to introduce to them two people like ourselves? You know what it means." "I know perfectly well," I agreed; "but, as some day or other I'm going to marry Eve, it seems to me the thing might as well be done." They were both perfectly silent for several moments. They looked at each other. There were questions in his face--other things in hers. I strolled across to the window. "If you'd like to talk it over," I suggested, "don't mind me. All the same I insist upon the party." "It's uncommonly kind of you, sure!" Mr. Parker said thoughtfully. "The more I think it over, the more I feel impressed by it; but, do you know, there's something about the proposition I can't quite cotton to! Seems to me you've some little scheme of your own at the back of your head. You haven't got it in your mind, have you, that you're sort of putting us on our honor?" "I have no ulterior motive at all," I declared mendaciously. Eve rose to her feet and came across to me. She was wearing a charming morning gown of some light blue material, with large buttons, tight- fitting, alluring; and there was a little quiver of her lips, a provocative gleam in her eyes, which I found perfectly maddening. "I think we won't come, thank you," she decided. "Why not?"