He rose up wearily, and walked with unsteady steps to the door. "Susan!" he cried querulously. Posy appeared, wreathed in smiles. With a terrific effort her father smiled frozenly at her. "Send your mother to me!" he said stiffly. "I want to see her at once on a small matter of business." "Right O!" replied Posy. He returned to his desk. When Susan, came in she perceived at once the change in him. "Gracious, Joe, is this house afire?" "No. I am. Shut the door." She did so, and then approached him. "Whatever is the matter?" He held up the billet and said hoarsely, "Listen. I found this in the lacquer cabinet five minutes ago. It’s in Posy’s writin’. And it’s addressed ’To my own Blue Bird.’" "Oh, dear! Oh, dear!" The sight of her weakness strengthened him, but he exclaimed testily: "Don’t make them stoopid noises. They sound like a mind out of whack. Sit tight! I’m a-going to read this precious letter bang through, a letter written by your daughter." Susan, wriggling on the edge of a chair, protested feebly: "My daughter? Ain’t she yours, too?" "I’m beginning to doubt it." He read aloud, "’My own Blue Bird——’" "Who is her Blue Bird, Joe?" "We’ll come to that soon enough. I may mention that there was a play called ’The Blue Bird’! to which you took Posy twice, and you jawed for three days of nothing else. A damn blue bird, accordin’ to you, stands for happiness—hey?" "Yes." He went on reading, "’It was splendidly clever of you to think of using that silly old cabinet——’ Silly old cabinet! Hear that? And I’ve refused a thousand guineas for it!" "Go on, dear!" "I’m going on if you’ll kindly stop wigglin’ your leg. I’m going bang to the outside edge of this. Pay partic’lar attention. ’It was splendidly clever of you to think of using that silly old cabinet as a pillar box, and the fact that we are corresponding under the nose of father makes the whole affair deliriously exciting and romantic. I should like to see his funny face——’ Is my face funny? Is it?" "Not now, Joe. Is there any more?" "Is there any more, Mrs. Ask-Another? D’ye think a girl educated at no expense spared ends a sentence in the middle of it? Keep that leg still, and I’ll finish. ’I should like to see his funny face if he could read this.’" "My!" "She shall see it, by Gum! ’We’ve got to be most awfully careful, because if he caught me talking to you except about his dull old business he would simply chatter with rage. But we must have a long talk together, and as soon as possible. Why not to-night? Father and mother are always fast asleep by eleven. At half-past eleven to the minute I shall slip down to the sanctuary. You be ready downstairs. I’ll whistle softly through the tube; then you nip up, and we’ll have a perfectly lovely talk. Your own POSY.’" "But, Joe, who is her Blue Bird?" "He’ll be black and blue when I’ve man-handled him. It’s that dog, James Miggott."