The Skinners, now that they had engaged in active social life, learned one valuable lesson, which was something of an eye-opener to them both. They found that they had constantly to be on dress parade, as it were, and that in the manners of the social devotee, no less than in his clothes, there can be no letdown. Also, they found that, on occasions, their dining out cost them more in the wear and tear on their patience than a dinner at home would have cost them in cash. For instance, when they returned from the Brewsters' dinner one night. Skinner jotted down in his little book:-- _Dress-Suit Account_ _Debit_ _Credit_ Never again! One bad evening! When you go to the Brewsters, you've got to talk all the time about their prodigy son who writes plays. Anything else bores them, and if you do talk about him, you 're bored. Damned if you do, damned if you don't! It's a draw, and a draw is a waste of time! "Well, Perk," said McLaughlin one morning, "I've got an interesting bit for you. The Skinners are doing the society stunt: bridge and that sort of thing." "That's not enough to convict." "They're splurging. They're buying rugs and pictures!" As a matter of fact, Honey had bought one modest rug and one modest picture to fill up certain bare spaces over against the meeting of the bridge club at her house, and being a good manager she could make any purchase "show off" to the limit. But the Skinners' ice man in detailing the thing to the McLaughlins' maid had assiduously applied the multiplication table. McLaughlin paused. "Well," said Perkins, "what do you make of it?" "He's getting too big for his breeches." "Well?" said Perkins. "I hate to do it," said McLaughlin, "but--" "Well?" said Perkins. "Don't stand there saying 'well,' Perk. Help me out." "What are you going to do about it, Mac?" "Did you notice him this morning? He looks as worried as the devil!" McLaughlin drummed on his desk with the paper-cutter. "Perk, we've got to do something--and we've got to do it sudden." McLaughlin turned. "Come in!" he shouted. The boy entered and handed the senior partner a card. "Send him in." He turned to Perkins. "It's Billings. Just you think this over to-night, Perk." "Hello, Billings." CHAPTER VIII CHICKENS COMING HOME TO ROOST Skinner _did_ look worried, but what ailed him was very foreign to the cause that McLaughlin and Perkins suspected. He was worrying about his diminishing bank account. But it was n't the actual diminution of funds that worried him so much--he was afraid Honey would find him out. For a long time this fear had haunted him. Like a wasp, it had buzzed constantly about his ears, threatening to sting him at any moment. It had become a veritable obsession, a mean, haunting, appetite-destroying, sleep-banishing obsession.