"He’s taken a shine to our girl, Susie." "Fiddle!" said Susan, for the second time. "Stoopid expression! You must break yourself of that. I tell you it’s true. Couldn’t ask for nothing better. Fine upstanding young chap." "A foreigner!" "Nonsense. They could spend half their time over here. You might give the child a hint. Tell her to play up." "What an idea!" "I have ideas, Susie. We can’t expect to keep her; and the best in this country won’t marry a tradesman’s daughter. He’s as good as any in his country. See?" "I see a large mare’s nest," replied Susan. Posy returned, brimming with the determination to retrieve her letter. Quinney beckoned to her. "Come you here, my girl." He took her head between his hands, and gazed at her proudly. "Did that young fellow squeeze your hand just now?" "Father!" "None o’ your sauce! Did he?" "Well, yes, he did." Quinney winked triumphantly at Susan. He kissed Posy, and said superbly: "You’ve got a daddy with ambitions, a kind, loving, clever old daddy! Lordy! Sometimes I fair wonder at myself, I do. Because I’ve climbed so high. But you’re a-going higher—bang up! Good looks, I’ll admit you got them from mother, and good brains, same as mine. Quick wits, God bless you! You made a hit with young Hunsaker! A bull’s-eye! Now scoot, both of you! I’ve a lot of business." "I haven’t finished dusting, daddy." "Yes, you have, when I say so. Scoot!" Unhappily, there was nothing else to do. *CHAPTER XVIII* *EXPLOSIONS* *I* "I’ve sold the chairs, James. Take ’em away. Pack ’em up at once! Nail down the cases. See?" "Yes, sir. I congratulate you, sir." "Pack up extra carefully that K’ang He bottle." "The K’ang He bottle?" Something in his tone arrested Quinney’s attention. It brought to mind what, for the moment, he had forgotten—the loss of the key and its tumbling out of the bottle. James, perhaps unconsciously, had glanced at the cabinet, and Quinney’s alert eyes had intercepted the somewhat furtive, shifting glance. He said sharply: "The key of the cabinet was in that bottle. Did you put it there?" James hesitated and was lost. Had he replied promptly, either in the affirmative or negative, his employer doubtless would have dismissed the incident from his mind. James, unhappily, was constrained to determine swiftly the expediency of saying "Yes." "I may have done so," he replied. He went on fluently: "The key fits badly, tumbles out of the lock sometimes. I meant to tell you."