JANE-ELLEN was standing in the office, with her hands folded, and an expression of the utmost calm upon her face. Crane came in quickly and would have shut the door, but for the fact that Smithfield was immediately behind him. "Beg pardon, sir," he said firmly, sliding into the room, "but I must look to the fire." Crane frowned. "The fire's all right," he said shortly. But Smithfield was not to be put off his duties, and began to poke the logs and sweep the hearth until peremptorily ordered to go. When the door finally closed behind him, Crane stood silent a moment with his hand on the mantelpiece. The whole tone of the interview, upon which it now occurred to him he had rushed somewhat too hastily, would be decided by whether he spoke standing up or sitting down. His feelings were for the first, his intellect for the latter position. His intellect won. He sat down in a deep chair and crossed his legs. As he did so, the cook's eyes, which had hitherto been fixed on the carpet, now raised themselves to the level of his neat pumps and black silk socks. He was aware of this, but did not allow himself to be disconcerted. "I suppose you can guess why I sent for you, Jane-Ellen," he said. "The dinner was not satisfactory, sir?" "I doubt if you could cook an unsatisfactory dinner if you tried," he returned. "No, the trouble is over something that happened an hour or so before dinner." "You did not approve, perhaps, of that gentleman, Mr. Tucker, coming into the kitchen? But, indeed, I could not help that." "Oh," said Crane, "so Tucker was in the kitchen, was he?" "Yes, sir, until Brindlebury told him the motor was coming with the ladies." "No," said Crane, "the difficulty is over a former visitor of yours. I think it my right, even my duty to prevent anything happening in this house of which I disapprove, and I do not approve, Jane-Ellen, of strangers coming into my house and kissing the cook." He looked at her squarely as he said this, but her eyes remained fixed on his feet as she replied docilely: "Yes, sir. Perhaps it would be better for you to speak to the young man about it." "Ah," returned her employer, as one now going over familiar ground, "you mean to imply that it was not your fault?" She did not directly answer this question. She said: "I suppose in your class of life a gentleman would not under any circumstances kiss a young lady against her will?" "Well," answered Crane, with some amusement, "he certainly never ought to do so. And by the way, one of the points about this incident seems to be that the young man in question had the appearance of being a gentleman." "He certainly considers himself so." There was a pause, then Crane said, seriously: "I don't want to interfere in your concerns further than I have to, or to offer you advice--" "But I should be so glad to have you offer me advice, sir. It is one of the few things a gentleman may offer a girl in my position and she accept with a clear conscience."