“It’s mine to brush,” said Eve: “and fix and do generally. If you had a beard——” “That’s an idea,” said Broke. “If you cut your hair, I’ll grow a blinkin’ beard: a long, spade-shaped one—by way of protest.” Eve laughed delightedly. “But how,” she gurgled, “how would that affect me? If we kissed when we met, or always dined _tête-à-tête_. . . .” “I trust,” said Jeremy stiffly, “that the indecent spectacle of an old friend gone wrong would twist the tail of your conscience. Besides, you wouldn’t like it when I accosted you in Bond Street, beard in hand.” Miss Carew shuddered. Then— “Seriously, Jeremy, why shouldn’t I have it off? Listen. First, it would suit me. I went to see Sali to-day, and he said it’d look immense. It isn’t as if it were straight. It’s naturally curly, and I’d have it really well cut. Then, I go through such hell—hell, morning and night. I wish you could see it down. Then perhaps you’d realize what I mean.” “I have,” said Jeremy Broke. “The night of the Lyvedens’ ball.” “Well, how would you like to have to cope with it twice a day?” Jeremy inclined his head. “I cannot imagine a greater privilege.” Eve smiled very charmingly. “Let’s drop hypothesis,” she said, “and come back to facts. I’ve given you three good reasons for having it cut. Except that it’s a national treasure, of which, I assume, I am the luckless trustee, can you give me one single reason why it should be preserved?” Jeremy hesitated. Then— “No,” he said quietly. “I can’t.” There was a silence. The man smiled thoughtfully, staring straight ahead. With a faint frown the girl regarded the leisurely disintegration of the logs in the grate. The distant throb of ragtime filtered into the room, only to subside, as though abashed, before the stately lecture of a Vulliamy clock. “Let us talk,” said Eve, “of the past.” “Good,” said Jeremy. “I’ll begin. If I’d been brought up to be a plumber, instead of a diplomat——” “Oh, I wish you had,” said Eve. “My bath’s gone wrong again.” “What, not the Roman?” “The same,” said Eve. “There you are,” said Broke. “I told you not to have it. You cannot introduce a relic of the Stone Age into a super-flat. It can’t be done. If you must have a circus leading out of your bedroom, the only thing to do is to set it right up and then build a house round it.” “We’re off,” said Eve, bubbling. Jeremy swallowed. “What’s the trouble?” he demanded. “Won’t empty,” said Eve. “I’m—I’m having it taken away.” “Taken away?” cried Broke. “Well, filled in or something. I don’t know what the process will be. I simply said it was to be washed out and an ordinary bath put in its place.” “Why on earth?” “Because experience has shown me that your advice was good. Between you and me, it nearly always is—though why you keep on giving it me when I only chuck it away, Heaven only knows. _I_ should have got mad months ago. I think you must be very—very strong, Jeremy. At least, I’m very conscious of being the—the weaker vessel.”