“But Miss Brennan--Jim, she’s got the most wonderful lot of grit! It makes a fellow spiritually sick to see a woman young and pretty as she is up against such an awful proposition!” And he launched into a eulogy of Miss Brennan which embraced all of the adjectives which Jim, on other occasions, had heard him apply to Lucy. The day following Jim waited until John had gone around the corner to Layard’s to get some prices on furnishing lumber, and he and Miss Brennan were the sole occupants of the office. “Miss Brennan,” he announced, “I want to tell you that your services are not required any longer. Your salary will be paid until the end of the month.” Miss Brennan opened her lips to speak. She looked into Jim’s eyes. Her small mouth quivered. “Why I don’t know what you mean! Mr. Winter----” She hesitated, eyeing Jim an instant with fear and bewilderment. Then a confused understanding dawned in her face. “I was never so insulted in my life, Mr. Sprague!” she exclaimed indignantly, a catch in her voice. Jim did not answer, and two large tears rolled down her cheeks as she moved away from him. When John returned to the office Jim was walking up and down the inner draughting room, smoking. His tall shadow, as he paced back and forth, moved across the ground glass partition. Miss Brennan outside had on her hat and coat. Jim heard John’s exclamation and knew that she was breaking the news to him. In a few moments sobs were audible. John opened the inner door. His face was crimson. He and Jim stared at one another like strangers. “What the hell does this mean, Jim?” John demanded, his voice shaking with suppressed feeling and his manner almost threatening. “I think you know about as well as I do, John.” “The devil I do! I won’t have it, that’s all! It’s a shame!” He seemed ready for battle as he spoke. “All right, John,” answered Jim quietly. John went out into the office again, slamming the door behind him. Miss Brennan was close to the corridor entrance. “I think I’d better go, Mr. Winter. You are so good to me, but I couldn’t stay in Mr. Sprague’s employ,” she answered, when John insisted on her remaining. So she went away, and whether she and John met again was a mystery which Jim did not try to solve, but he felt that he had at least kept the affair from reaching a development which would come to Lucy’s ears. The partners tacitly avoided employing a successor to Miss Brennan, going across the hall of their office building to a public stenographer, when a stenographer was necessary, while Jim posted and cast their accounts in his room each evening after his day’s work. The incident caused a passing coolness between them. Indeed there were some weeks during which John scarcely spoke to Jim. The clouds were dispelled however. John showed a sudden warmth and simultaneously came an invitation to dinner from Lucy.