“Yes,” continued Elwell, “and this is my future wife and her father.” Peter nodded. “And--and----Well, you see she is very anxious to get acquainted with some of our society people, and I am afraid she thinks I can introduce her. In fact,” he continued, being candid from necessity, “she might have thought from what I said that I was better acquainted than I am.” “Had to lie a little, eh?” remarked Coleman shrewdly. Elwell flushed but returned no answer. “What are you going to do about it?” inquired Coleman. “It is too late to go anywhere to-night; unless it is to the opera.” Elwell gave a sigh of relief. “That’s so,” he said, “I’m glad of that.” “Well, then, you go and get tickets for to-night; and to-morrow, if they stay, you can fix up something.” Elwell looked relieved. “I’ll do that,” he said. “You might as well walk over with me. By the way, who was that handsome girl I met at your place to-day?” “That was Lettie; she is my landlady’s niece and a friend of mine.” “A friend, is that all?” repeated Elwell, with a sneer. “Egad, sometimes a friend is plenty,” retorted Coleman. “I’ll tell you what it is,” he went on, “if you can’t get out of this scrape in any other way, I will get Lettie to help you. The house and furniture are all right.” “And the girl?” inquired Elwell. “The girl? Oh, she is able to carry anything,” replied Coleman, with confidence. “Yes: but is she a person that one would care to have one’s wife know?” “That,” replied Coleman, “is just as one happened to feel about it. If you can’t do better, you might try.” And with that poor consolation, Elwell was obliged to return to the hotel. Of course, he was greatly surprised to see Fanny and her father. He had taken good care to receive no notice of their arrival until they walked in on him in the dining room, so as to intensify the surprise as much as possible. “I am so glad you are here,” he said, beaming on Fanny. “But why didn’t you tell me you were coming?” “Oh, that was the surprise,” replied Fanny. “I wanted to see you just as you were. Have you been a good boy all day?” “A very busy one, at any rate,” he replied. “But I am glad I am done for the day. Perhaps it will be possible to secure good seats at the opera.” Fanny clapped her hands joyfully. “That will be splendid!” she cried. “And then to-morrow you can introduce me to some of your friends.” “I am afraid I shall be very busy to-morrow,” faltered Elwell. “Oh, nonsense!” retorted his fiancée. “You can spare me some time, I hope.” “I should hope so,” said Elwell meekly; while old Pat, who was an interested listener, grinned and advised him to give in at once. “You are only getting a taste of it now,” said Pat, chuckling; “but you can judge what to expect after you are married.”