"You told me about it in one of the letters you wrote to me. But what was the secret you had with the old Frenchman?" "Why, about Maria. He told me not to let any of the fellows know that Maria Algarez was my mother. He said that it was a beautiful romance but that here in America people wouldn't understand on account of American morality being so strict and that they might look down on me." Peter was indignant. "Beautiful romance! Where did he get that idea? Maria Algarez and I were married just like anybody. Didn't she tell you that?" "No," said Pat in obvious disappointment, "she didn't." "I guess she forgot about it," suggested Peter. "It doesn't make any difference to me, but if I run into old Mons. Fournier I won't dare tell him. It would spoil the whole thing for him. He'll think I was just boasting. Gosh he got a lot of fun out of it." "Fournier, there's a Jacques Fournier that plays first base for the White Sox." "No, this man's named Antoine. He's the old French teacher I was telling you about. Maybe they're related. He never said anything about it." "In these letters about the opera and singing and all that," asked Peter, "did Maria Algarez ever suggest that you ought to try and be a singer." Pat broke into unrestrained merriment. "Good God! no," he said and added quickly, "I beg your pardon, Father, I didn't mean to curse but it would be so funny if Maria'd said anything like that about me." Peter was nettled. "If you're going to call me 'father' why don't you call her 'mother'?" "I'm sorry; I know you don't like to be called 'father'. I won't do it again." "All right, but you haven't answered my question. Don't you ever think of calling her 'mother'?" "Maria Algarez? No, it would sound so funny. I've never seen her. She doesn't seem like my mother or anybody's mother. She's around singing before people and all that. And look at her picture." He took one out of his pocket and handed it across the table. For the first time since the conversation had turned upon Maria Peter smiled. He recognized the picture. He too had had one just like it a good many years ago. It was taken two or three months before he married Maria Algarez. However, Peter let it pass without comment. "What does Maria say about what you're going to do?" he wanted to know. "She hasn't raised any objections to your going into the newspaper business?" "No, she never mentioned that or anything definite. She's just kept hammering away at one thing. She keeps saying Pat don't do anything unless it's something you want to do very much. And she says if a man or a woman has something like that he wants to do he musn't let anything in the world stand in his way. He must go after it." "Have you been living up to that? Have you been doing everything you wanted?" "Well, no," said Pat, "not since Rufus Twice took me over."