"There's nothing wrong!" He laughed falsely. "Everything's wonderful! Wonderful! Go get me some breakfast!" "What?" Julie asked confusedly. But Marc's gaze had again been captured by a movement in the mirror. As he looked up Toffee's reflection smiled brightly at him and waved. "Stay where you are!" Marc gibbered. "Go back!" "What?" Julie asked. Marc looked at her unhappily. "I'm starving!" he gibbered. "Get me something to eat! I may start gnawing on the bedpost in a minute!" "But you just said for me to stay where I was. Why?" "Yes, yes, I know," Marc said. He smiled feebly. "What I mean is that I'm hungry and want breakfast, but I hate to see you leave to get it because ... because it's so nice to see you this morning...." * * * * * Julie smiled uncertainly and patted his head. "I'll get you something right away," she said. "But I'll hurry." "Oh, don't!" Marc said. "Take all the time you want!" Julie looked at him quizzically and started to rise from the bed. Unfortunately for everyone's peace of mind Toffee chose that moment to stick one shapely leg around the edge of the curtain. "Don't!" Marc yelled. Julie sat down quickly and reached a hand to Marc's brow. "But how can I get breakfast if I don't leave?" she asked patiently. Marc turned to her with an harrassed expression. "You can't!" he cried. "That's just it! So leave! Go on! Go 'way!" "What!" An expression of utter hopelessness came over Julie's face. "Go!" Marc said desperately. "Hurry!" Julie stared at him for a long moment. "Are you sure you aren't harboring some sort of terrible grudge against me for what I did last night?" she asked slowly. "I'll understand perfectly if...." "No, no, no!" Marc broke in. "I was never more fond of you than I am right at this minute. Go away." "All right," Julie said. "I'm going. But don't call me back this time the minute I make a move for the door." "I won't," Marc said. "I'll be silent as the grave." Julie leaned forward to kiss him lightly on the forehead, then started across the room toward the door. "I'll be back practically instantly." Quickly, Marc whirled around and stared in the direction of the alcove. As he did so the blood in his veins was sorely put to it whether to run hot or cold; Toffee, curve-some as a serpent and twice as fleshy, had stepped from behind the curtains and, at the moment, had arranged herself into a posture of highly seductive nature. This, judging by her expression, she considered humorous in the extreme. Not so, Marc. "No!" he cried. "Stop!" Julie did not bother to turn around; she merely stopped where she was in the doorway and placed her hands carefully on her hips. "Oh, no!" she groaned. "I've married a man who fancies himself a traffic signal!" "No!" Marc yelled. "Not you!" "Then who?" Julie asked with threadbare patience. "The twenty-seven little men with pointed heads sitting on the bureau? Is that who you mean, dearest?"