"Oh!" "You thee that ith why," said Jennie hastily, "and, oh Jack, I do want you to talk to him, juth ath you talked to me. Tell him evwything. He ith tho helpful and tho underthanding." She swayed from one foot to another and glanced from the boy to the man, undecided. "Jennie, dear," said Mr. Tuptale with surgical ease, "I think ahem--suppose you let us talk this over together. It would be easier, wouldn't it?" "Oh yeth, indeed!" The next moment they were alone. "And now my boy," said Mr. Tuptale blandly. "Come, sit down. Let's have it out like man to man." Skippy did not at once comply. He walked slowly around the red plush rocker and then back to the bamboo fire-screen and rested his elbows lightly upon it and glowered at the all-unconscious curate, murder in his heart. "Jennie is very fond of you, Jack," said Mr. Tuptale, caging his fingers. "She has a warm and sympathetic nature, a big heart, and I can quite understand how deeply concerned she is in the brave fight you are making. I want you to accept me as a friend, a real friend. I know men and I know what temptations are, early associations, acquired habits. Jack, my boy, there is nothing really wrong in you. I saw that the moment you came into the room." "Who said there was--pray?" said Skippy, whose hands were trembling with rage. Mr. Tuptale looked up quickly, frowned and said: "Jennie has told me all--naturally." "She told you I gambled." "She did." "She told you I drank, and she told you I smoked." "She did, of course, and I consider it was her duty to do so." "Well is there anything wrong in that, I ask you?" "Anything wrong in gambling, drunkenness, steeping oneself with tobacco until your hand shakes like a leaf?" said Mr. Tuptale, rising. "Exactly. Do you know your ten commandments, sir?" "Are you insulting me, sir?" said the curate, yielding to a perfectly natural irritation. "Kindly point out to me in the ten commandments where any habit of mine is forbidden," said Skippy with the most impressive of declamatory attitudes. Mr. Tuptale's jaw dropped, twice he tried to answer and twice remained inarticulate. Skippy possessed himself of his hat and bowed in scorn. "You will kindly restore to Miss Tupper this pin," he said, producing it after a struggle with his tie. "Also inform her that I shall immediately send back to her other articles I need not now specify. Thank you for your interest in my case but it is quite unnecessary--quite. I can stand by the ten commandments. Good night." He went down the scrunching gravel and slammed the gate. "And there is more, sir," he exclaimed aloud, forgetting that he was now alone. "One thing more. You can tell Miss Tupper that even among the lowest of my associates, gamblers and drunkards and race-track sharks though they be, a promise given is sacred, sacred, sir, and the man who breaks it is, is, is--" But here rage quite overtook him and he picked up a stone and flung it at an inoffensive tree.