it?"

"No reason. Unless you acted as you did to-night because"--again Barney
hesitated; again jealousy prompted him on--"because you've heard in some
way from Larry Brainard. Have you heard from Larry?"

Maggie met his gaze without flinching. She would take the necessary
measures in the morning with Miss Grierson to keep that lady from
indiscreet talking.

"I have not heard from Larry, and if I had, it wouldn't be any of your
business, Barney Palmer!"

He chose to ignore the verbal slap in his face of her last phrase. "No,
I guess you haven't heard from Larry. And I guess none of us will hear
from him--not for a long time. He's certainly fixed himself for fair!"

"He sure has," agreed Old Jimmie.

Maggie said nothing.

"Seems to me we've got this young Sherwood hooked," said Old Jimmie, who
had been impatient during this unprofitable bickering. "Seems to me
it's time to settle just how we're going to get his dough. How about it,
Barney?"

"Plenty of time for that, Jimmie. This is a big fish, and we've got to
be absolutely sure we've got him hooked so he can't get off. We've got
to play safe here; it's worth waiting for, believe me. Besides, all the
while Maggie's getting practice."

"Seems to me we ought to make our clean-up quick. So that--so that--"

"See here--you think you got some other swell game you want to use
Maggie in?"

Old Jimmie's shifty gaze wavered before Barney's glare.

"No. But she's my daughter, ain't she?"

"Yes. But who's running this?" Barney demanded. Thank Heavens, Old
Jimmie was one person he did not have to treat like a prima donna!

"You are."

"Then shut up, and let me run it!"

"You might at least tell if you've decided how you're going to run it,"
persisted Old Jimmie.

"Will you shut up!" snapped Barney.

Old Jimmie said no more. And having asserted his supremacy over at least
one of the two, Barney relented and condescended to talk, lounging back
in his chair with that self-conscious grace which had helped make him a
figure of increasing note in the gayer restaurants of New York.

It did not enter into Barney's calculations, present or for the future,
to make Maggie the mistress of any man. Not that Barney was restrained
by moral considerations. The thing was just bad business. Such a woman
makes but comparatively little; and what is worse, if she chooses, she
makes it all for herself. And Barney, in his cynical wisdom of his poor
world, further knew that the ave