Teddy Martin came forward quickly. “See here, Benton, you don’t know what you’re talking about. This is Druid’s birthday, and we’re having a little party. There isn’t a thing wrong——” “You can’t make a fool of me!” he answered hotly. “Didn’t I see her in his arms when I came in?” “Well, supposing you did,” Druid interrupted. “At an informal party like this, we don’t stand on ceremony. This doesn’t happen to be one of your—society functions,” with deep sarcasm. “Put on your things at once.” Howard turned commandingly to Elinor. “I’ll send you home in a taxi and then I’ll come back and settle with him.” “But what if I don’t feel like going home?” Elinor faced him furiously. “You’ve got your nerve to think you can humiliate me like this in front of my friends.” “Friends?” Howard sneered. “And I suppose this man,” pointing to Templeton and trembling as a man with ague, so eager was he to fasten his hands on the actor’s throat, “is your friend too?” Elinor Benton drew herself up with all the dignity inherited from a haughty parentage. She looked at her brother, squarely, then defiantly about the half circle of watching silent people. “He’s _more_ than my friend,” Elinor announced haughtily, but with a touch of pride. “He is—my affianced husband!” Living on sensation as most of her hearers did, proof against surprises in usual matters, still the simply-worded announcement of Elinor Benton was sufficient to cause jaws to drop, to cause glances to dart from one to the other at a statement that, to say the least, to most of them was startling. Then those glances came back to settle on the face of Templeton Druid—the glances of these people who knew him. What they saw was that his suave countenance had turned scarlet, and that his eyes wavered unsteadily as he, too, glanced stealthily around the room. “How wonderfully interesting!” Howard’s sarcastic laugh rang out, “but don’t you think it would have been proper and more gentlemanly for him to have waited until he had disposed of his present wife before honoring you with his proposal?” “His wife!” Elinor turned ghastly. “It isn’t true! Tell him it isn’t true—Templeton?” “Just look at him!” Howard blazed. “You can read his answer in his face.” “Well, I told you there was a matter of great importance I had to settle—before I could marry you—didn’t I?” Druid turned to Elinor almost fiercely. “Yes—but a—wife—a wife!” Once more her wail turned to sobs, as her slender body was shaken in a gale of emotion, of chagrin. Howard took a menacing step nearer Druid. “You’ve played fast and loose with my sister’s affections in order to feed your disgusting vanity,” he began, chokingly. “You will——”