She went on briefly to tell how the acquaintance had come about, and Lefty listened in frowning silence, gnawing his under lip with firm white teeth. Perhaps it was just as well that he had been prevented from giving vent to that first natural outburst of indignation which leaped up within him. The discovery that Elgin, of all men, had made the acquaintance and apparently won the liking of this girl filled him with intense anger. The cur wasn’t fit even to speak to her, and in that moment Lefty detested him as never before. Only the impossibility of interrupting Janet kept him from pouring out an impulsive account of what he knew about the scoundrel, and the even more contemptible things he suspected. But, with the passing of that first throb of anger, Locke felt that this would merely make matters worse. Certain as he was in his own mind of Elgin’s complicity in the plot against himself, he had no real proof, and anything he might say against the man would seem like the product of jealousy. “He came to call last night,” the girl concluded, “and father was quite charmed with him.” She hesitated an instant, and then went on slowly: “I’m afraid you’re not very good friends, are you, Phil?” “Oh! You gathered that, did you?” Lefty said stiffly. “I suppose he blackguarded me to beat the band.” “He did nothing of the sort. He never said a word against you. I simply got the impression from his manner, and thought it was a pity you shouldn’t be on better terms.” “That’s out of the question,” Lefty retorted shortly. He was perplexed over his inability to let her know exactly what sort of a man Bert Elgin was, and that added no little asperity to his manner. “We could never be friends.” Janet sighed a little. She was very human, and where is the girl who is not thrilled by the thought of reconciling old enemies and healing old sores by her influence? She did not give up hope of some day accomplishing it in this case. She only realized that nothing more could be done at present, and, womanlike, tucking it away in her mind for future use, changed the subject abruptly. “You really didn’t deserve to have me write you,” she said more lightly, “after the way you’ve neglected me lately. You must have got my last letter over two weeks ago, and I haven’t heard a word from you since.” “I know it,” Lefty acknowledged. “I ought to have written, but everything came about so unexpectedly, Janet, that I put it off till I could have something definite to tell you. Just because I’m with a Big League team now doesn’t mean I’ll stay. I’ve got to make good, and there were two or three things at first which handicapped me so that I had very serious doubts of ever doing it. I did write you a long letter last night, though, but naturally I sent it to Kingsbridge. You’ll probably get it in a week or so.”