"Well, I rather _don't_, you know!" It just blurted out of itself. "Oh, I say--now, you're not really in earnest?" And I screwed my glass so hard in my embarrassment, I hurt my eye--"You know she's a freak! Why, dash it--" I pulled up, for after all, she was a fellow guest. He stared, jammed his hands deep in his pockets and bent toward me. "Now, look here, my boy, _do_ you mean to say you don't think Miss Kirkland a beautiful and winning girl?"--I guess he did see I meant it, for he slowly emitted an expressive whistle--"Well, you _are_ hopeless then--utterly hopeless!" and dash it, he just groaned! "But now, my dear young friend," he went on, and with a glance at the littered table, "I want you to go out and get some fresh air before the bloom of the morning is past--if you go out this way, you will avoid encountering those girls"--his hand gently but firmly urged me. "It has been just abominably selfish of me to have kept you stuffed in here; I know I have bored you to death with all this about the family black sheep--I feel that now I must let you escape." "Oh, no--not at all!" I protested hastily and pulling back. Never would do to let him feel that way, you know! "Really, 'pon honor now, thing I want to do is just stay here and talk to you about Frances." "Oh, _damn_ Fran--h'm--I mean Francis will keep!" He caught himself hastily before the stare of my glass, fumbling with the papers to cover his confusion. Then he clapped me on the shoulder, pressing me again toward the door. "You just go ahead and do whatever you can with Francis, yourself--you are my only hope! Or wait, and I'll prepare the way for you to-night--that's it; that's best!"--and he went to nodding. Then he halted my progress and eyed me intently. "There's another thing:"--his voice dropped--"I think it's just as well Jack shouldn't know of your intentions about Francis; he would never approve--oh, _never_!" He pursed his lips to just a thin curve as he shook his head positively. His eyes bored at me over his glasses. I moistened my lips. "I know _he_ feels you have already concerned yourself enough about Francis," he said deliberately. "The other night at your rooms--er, _you_ know! Jack is so particular in those little things. Ah, there's a model for you!" He looked upward and wagged his head as he laid his hand upon the door-knob. By Jove, how I wished he would open it, for the room was getting devilish warm! "And as for things I deplore in Francis--oh, no, never any of that with Jack!"--he stiffened proudly--"he may, as I have said, imbibe a little too much, now and then; but when it comes to _scandal_--well, I have yet to hear the slightest breath--" A sharp knock cut in abruptly. "Come in!" And he swung the door open. CHAPTER XXVI FLORA In the doorway stood the butler, looking rather pale. With him was a woman--one of the angular sort, you know, and whom I judged to be the housekeeper.