She came up to him and worked her finger into his buttonhole. "Francis Granthope," she said solemnly, "are you really—ruined?" Her eyes danced. "Oh, I’ve got enough junk in my chamber to pay that off, I expect, but it won’t leave me exactly affluent." She burst into a delicious chime of laughter. "Why, it’s positively melodramatic, isn’t it? I never happened to know any one who was actually bankrupt before. Of course it must happen, sometimes, but somehow I thought people could always raise some money, even if they had to scrimp. How exciting it is—aren’t you nervous about it? Why, I’d be frightened to death! And yet it seems terribly amusing!" He laughed with her. "I can’t seem to take it very seriously, while you’re with me, at any rate. To tell the truth, I haven’t begun to think about it yet. Of course my fees have always been in cash, and consequently there’s nothing coming in. And I’ve always spent every cent I made, and a little more. But I’ve been broke before, and it doesn’t alarm me, except that, of course, I can’t depend upon living by my wits in quite the same way as I would have, if I hadn’t chucked that sort of thing. If I didn’t care how I did it, I suppose I could make a hundred or so a week easily enough." She listened and grew more serious. "Of course that’s all over. But you’ve got to have money! Let’s see what I have with me." She took her purse from her bag and emptied it upon the desk. Several ten- and twenty-dollar gold pieces rolled out. Granthope shook his head sharply. "No, don’t do that, please! I can’t take anything, even as a loan, you know. I can’t spend a cent I haven’t honestly earned—I never shall again, if I have to starve, which I don’t intend to do, either. You must know that." "But from me—isn’t that different?" "Not even from you!" "Of course you mustn’t. I see. It’s better not to, yet somehow I could have forgiven you if you had let me help a little at first. I don’t exactly see how you’re going to live. Why, it’s awful, when you come to think of it, isn’t it? It really is serious. What a goose I’ve been! I’m afraid I shall worry about you now. Well, you’ll have to have lunch with _me_ to-day, anyway. That’s only fair, if I invite you." "On the contrary, I’m going to invite you to share my humble meal." "All right; let’s be reckless then, if you _must_ be proud and show off. It will be fun. I never economized in my life, but now I’m going to show you how. Hand over all your wealth, please." She counted it out upon the desk, a five dollar piece, six silver dollars and two halves and a few nickels. "Now," she said, "how long can we make this last—a week?" "I’ve lived for three weeks on that much, often, and paid for my room." "Something’s bound to happen within ten days, I’m sure. If you see nothing ahead at the end of a week, I’ll put you on half-rations, and till then I’ll allow you a dollar a day. Shall I keep it for you?"