"Bobo is such a dear," she went on, "but he's terribly dependent. He depends on you, and now he's beginning to depend on me! Well, it seems to me that we share a pretty serious responsibility, his having all that money and all. We ought to consult about what we should do, and agree on a course of action. If you and I pull against each other, Bobo will be torn in two, so to speak." Jack looked seriously impressed, but inwardly he was grinning wickedly. "Ha!" he thought, "having failed in her effort to kick me out she is now proposing in diplomatic language that we get together and whack up." Aloud he said: "I expect you're right, though I hadn't thought of it that way. I thought I would take care of Bobo's business affairs, and you would look after his personal character." "But under altered circumstances it might be difficult," she said darkly. "Eh?" "Don't be dense. I suppose you know that Bobo wants to marry me." Jack never batted an eye. "I can't say that I am exactly surprised. Nor that I blame him," he added gallantly. "Be serious. Of course I haven't accepted him yet. I have to be sure of my own feelings." Jack stroked his lip to hide a grim smile. "Have you any objection to his marrying me?" she asked boldly. Jack lied quickly. "None whatever." "Then why did you try to poison his mind against me?" Jack thought: "Oh, Bobo! Bobo! I'm glad I didn't tell you all." To her he said with seeming astonishment: "I! Poison his mind against you! What an idea!" "Well, try to dissuade him from--er--paying me attention." "My dear Miriam, put yourself in my place for a moment. I am Bobo's friend. I do feel the responsibility of looking after him, just as you say. He meets a lovely girl of whom we know nothing, a girl lovely enough to believe the worst of--and he falls head over heels in love. Was it not my plain duty to beg him to go slow, to think what he was doing?" "What do you mean, believe the worst of?" "Just a figure of speech. You are really remarkably beautiful. It isn't reasonable to suppose that you have reached your present age without having had--well, exciting things happen to you." She shrugged. "I wish I had had." She was unable to keep a sharp note out of her voice. "You told him that I--wasn't all that I ought to be." "I had to say something to make him pull up long enough to give me time to find out." "Then you haven't got anything against me?" Jack's eyes were as limpid as a mountain stream. If one is going to lie, one may as well do it artistically. "Nothing in the world, Miriam!" She leaned across the table and gave his hand a little squeeze. "I'm so glad we've had this talk," she murmured. They beamed on each other in seeming friendly fashion--but there were hard points of light in each pair of eyes. "Pleasant little comedy," thought Jack. "I'm willing to keep it up as long as she is."