Alicia smiled radiantly at Laura across the table, and Griselda, who had just come in with the dessert, nodded her head with somber emphasis as she placed the bowl before me. I could have hugged them all three in gratitude, but nevertheless I pressed Pendleton to narrate more of his experiences. "No," he shook his head, evidently taking the children’s comment to heart. "That’s yarn enough for one evening." That seemed to me very decent of Pendleton. I could not help laughing at Dibdin to-day. I called him up on the telephone and demanded what he meant by coming from devil knows where after more than two years’ absence and virtually cutting me. "Come to lunch at the Salmagundi Club," he growled. "Does it pain you as much as that to ask me?" "Don’t be a damn fool," he retorted. "Don’t be so wickedly witty," I replied. "At twelve-thirty," he muttered and hung up the receiver. From which I gathered that he was out of sorts. In the hall of the Club where he was waiting, I greeted him with, "’Is it weakness of intellect, birdie,’ I cried, ’Or a rather tough worm in your little inside?’" He stared at me. "How you can be so light and idiotic in the face of circumstances," he began, "passes my comprehension." "Circumstances, my dear fellow, are all there is to life." "Want to wash your paws?" "No—I am as clean as I shall ever be." I put my arm through his and allowed him to lead me to a quiet table in the rear of the billiard room, softly illumined by a shaded lamp at midday. "What a delightful place!" I exclaimed. "Residence of Q.T. tranquillity." "Tranquillity be blowed," he grunted, as he sat down facing me. "What are you going to do about that Old Man of the Sea of yours?" "You mean Pendleton?" "Whom the devil else can I mean?" "Why, nothing of course, but give him a leg up if we can. What else is there to do? I just received a letter this morning from an insurance company asking for confidential information about him. He’s given me as a reference and they’re evidently considering him." "The Danbury and Phoenix?" he asked. "Yes. How did you know?" "I got one, too." "I suppose we are really his only two possible sponsors at present." "I’d as soon recommend a convict from Sing Sing," he muttered. "Oh, no!" I protested. "Not as bad as that. Besides, sometimes you have to recommend even a convict." "I’d much rather recommend a convict. I hate to lie about this man. I’ve been asked whether I would trust him and I have to say yes. But you know dashed well I wouldn’t. Give me a cigarette," he ended savagely. "I think he’ll go straight now," I murmured dully, passing my case to Dibdin and looking away. "The children will no doubt have an influence on him." "You judge everybody by yourself." "How d’ye mean—myself?" "The long and the short of it is," he declared, putting both elbows on the table, "I had no idea what the children would do to you." "What did they do to me?" I queried, mystified.