"What makes you think she does?" Warren asked, feeling as if a hot, dry wind suddenly smote his skin. "Because she's so nice to me!" Magsie answered triumphantly. "Rachael's been just a little snippy to Vera," she confided further, "or Vera thinks she has. She's not been up there for ages! I could tell Vera---" Warren's power of reasoning was dissipated in an absolute panic. But George had primed him for this talk. He assumed an air of business. "There are several things to think of, Magsie," he said briskly, "before we can go farther. In the first place, you must spend the summer comfortably. I've arranged for that--" He handed her a small yellow bank-book. Magsie glanced at it; glanced at him. "Oh, Greg, dear, you're too generous!" "I'm not generous at all," he answered with an honest flush. "I know what I am now, Magsie, I'm a cad." "Who says you're a cad?" Magsie demanded indignantly. "I say so!" he answered. "Any man is a cad who gets two women into a mess like this!" "Greg, dear, you shan't say so!" Her slender arms were about his neck. "Well--" He disengaged the arms, and went on with his planning. "George Valentine is going to see Rachael," he proceeded. "About the divorce?" said Magsie with a nod. "About the whole thing. And George thinks I had better go away." "Where?" demanded Magsie. "Oh, travelling somewhere." "Rio?" dimpled Magsie. "You know you have always had a sneaking desire to see Rio." Warren smiled mechanically. It had been Rachael's favorite dream "when the boys are big enough!" His sons--were they bathing this minute, or eagerly emptying their blue porridge bowls? "Magsie, dear," he said slowly, "it's a miserable business--this. I'm as sorry as I can be about it. But the truth is that George wants me to get away only until he and Alice can get Rachael into a mood where she'll forgive me. They see this whole crazy thing as it really is, dear. I'm not a young man, Magsie, I'm nearly fifty. I have no business to think of anything but my own wife and my work and my children--Don't look so, Magsie," he broke off to say; "I only blame myself! I have loved you--I do love you--but it's only a man's love for a sweet little amusing friend. Can't we--can't we stop it right here? You do what you please; draw on me for twice that, for ten times that; have a long, restful summer, and then come back in the fall as if this was all a dream---" Magsie had been watching him steadily during this speech, a long speech for him. At first she had been obviously puzzled, then astonished, now she was angry. She had grown pale, her pretty childish mouth was a little open, her breath coming fast. For a full minute, as his voice halted, there was silence.