She looked at him with an odd shy light in her eyes that he had not seen before. "You goose! If you knew!" "Let's get married anyway," he pleaded. "There's no manner of sense in putting it off any longer." She shook her head "No. We set a task for ourselves. Let's accomplish it first." "Well, tell me you love me, and I'll be satisfied." "You know it. You've always known it." "But tell me in plain downright English." She did. After an interval of divine foolishness, they came down to earth again, and Jack recollected his new plans. "I've got a difficult and disagreeable job for you," said he. "What's that?" "Did you ever hear of Miss Staley's Employment Bureau?" "Certainly. It's the best-known in town. All the fashionable women patronize it." "Miriam's going there to-morrow morning to engage a maid." "Well?" "I want you to get the job." "Good Heavens! Let me collect my wits! Lady's maid, I!" "Look what I've been!" "Oh, it isn't that I mind! But could I get away with it?" "Why not? She wants a maid to do for her, I suppose, what you ordinarily do for yourself." "How will I land the job?" "Simply go there and register, and pay the fee, and turn down any other offers you may get. I guess they don't get many applicants that could compete with you." "Silly! There are references to be thought of." "That's easy. Mrs. Delamare will provide one, and get others if necessary." "What is the object of my doing this?" "I'm going to drop out of sight for a while, and I must have somebody to keep me informed of what goes on in Bobo's establishment while I'm away." "Very well. I'll do it." The agreement was sealed. Jack spent the rest of the afternoon in arranging for the necessary references for Kate, in making certain inquiries at the steamship offices, and finally in looking up a friend of the old poverty-stricken days, one Stanley Larkin. He chose this friend because of a general resemblance they were said to bear each other. Larkin worked in the freight office of a railway. At the sight of Jack his eyes widened in amazement. "Good Lord! if it isn't Jack----" "Robinson," put in Jack quickly, "for the present." Larkin was anything but slow. "Sure, Robinson! It certainly was decent of you to look me up in this hole." "Look here," said Jack, coming to the point at once, "what kind of a job have you got here?" "Rotten!" "Is there any reason why you shouldn't give it up for awhile?" "None whatever, if I could meet my board bill without it." "Will you make a trip down to British Guiana for me? "British Guiana! Am I dreaming?" "Not that you'd notice," said Jack grinning. "Boat leaves Saturday. I'm going with you part way." The young clerk balanced the stultifying monotony of life in a railway office against the lure of the tropics. His eyes became dreamy. "Will I go!" he said. "Only give me the chance! It's like a fairy tale!"