"Then you didn't mean it when you said you were sorry?" he demanded shortly. "I wanted you to go with me, that's all." "And you took that way to make me. Was that it?" Molly picked up her pen and made a few marks with it. "I'm not interested in Miss Grandoken," she replied. "So I notice," retorted Theodore, provokingly. She turned around upon him with angry, sparkling eyes. "I think you've a lot of nerve to bring her into your home." She hazarded this without thought of consequences. "What do you mean?" he asked presently, searching her face with an analytical gaze. Molly was wrought up to the point of invention, perhaps because she was madly jealous. "Men generally keep that sort of a woman to themselves," she explained. "A home is usually sacred to the ordinary man." Theodore was stung to silence. It was a bitter fling, and his thoughts worked rapidly. It took a long moment for his tall figure to get up from the chair. "Just what _do_ you mean?" he demanded, thrusting his hands into his pockets. "I don't believe I need tell you any more," she answered. Theodore stood in the middle of the room as if turned to stone. "I'm dense, I guess," he admitted huskily. Angered beyond reason or self-control, Molly pushed the letter away impatiently and stood up. "Well, if you're so terribly dense, then listen. No man is ever interested in a girl like that unless she is something more to him than a mere----" She broke off, because a dark red flush was spreading in hot waves over the man's face. But bravely she proceeded, "Of course you wouldn't insult your family and your friends by marrying her. Then what conclusion do you want them to draw?" Theodore looked at her as if she'd suddenly lost her senses. She had cast an aspersion upon the best little soul in God's created world. "Well, of all the villainous insinuations I ever heard!" he thundered harshly. "My God, woman! Haven't you any soul ... any decency about you?" The question leaped out of a throat tense with uncontrollable rage. It was couched in language never used to her before, and caused the woman to stagger back. She was about to demand an apology, when Theodore flung out of the room and banged the door behind him. Molly sat down quickly. Humiliating, angry tears flowed down her cheeks and she made no effort to restrain them. What cared she that Theodore had repudiated her accusation? She felt she had discovered the truth, and nothing more need be said about it. After growing a little calmer, she saw that she'd made another mistake by enraging Theodore. He had not taken her insults against the girl as she had expected. Half an hour later she called his office and was informed he was out.