He had always seemed it was one of the marks
of what they called the " unspeakable " in him to
walk a little more on his toes, as if for jauntiness,
in the presence of offence. Nothing, however, was
more wonderful than what he sometimes would take
for offence, unless it might be what he sometimes
wouldn t. He walked at any rate on his toes now.
"A very proper requirement of your Aunt Maud,
my dear I don't hesitate to say it! " Yet as this,
much as she had seen, left her silent at first from
what might have been a sense of sickness, he had
time to go on: " That's her condition then. But
what are her promises? Just what does she engage
to do? You must work it, you know."

"You mean make her feel," Kate asked after a
moment, " how much I'm attached to you?"

"Well, what a cruel, invidious treaty it is for
you to sign. I'm a poor old dad to make a stand
about giving up I quite agree. But I'm not,
after all, quite the old dad not to get something for
giving up."

"Oh, I think her idea," said Kate almost gaily
now, " is that I shall get a great deal."

He met her with his inimitable amenity. " But
does she give you the items?"

The girl went through the show. " More or
less, I think. But many of them are things I dare
say I may take for granted things women can do
for each other and that you wouldn't under
stand."

[[18]]

p017 _ -chap- _ toc-1 _ p018w _ toc-2 _ +chap+ _ p019

v?