op. It's most
interesting. Why, some of the games it tells about were played in
England before William the Conqueror landed; at least so the author
claims. Did you ever hear of a game called Shoe the Wild Mare? It was
very popular in Queen Elizabeth's day. The book yonder says so."

"No, I never heard of it. From the name it sounds as though it might be
rather a rough game for indoors," commented Mullinix. "For a busy woman
who's made such a big success at her calling, I wonder how you find time
to dig into so many miscellaneous subjects."

"I don't call the time wasted," she said. "For example, there's one book
in that lot dealing with mushroom culture. It seems there's ever so much
to know about mushrooms. Besides, who knows but what some day I might
have a wealthy client who would want me to design him a mushroom cellar,
combining practicability with the decorative. Then, you see, I would
have the knowledge at my finger tips." She smiled at the conceit,
busying herself with the tea things.

"Well, I suppose I'm a one-idea-at-a-time sort of person," he said.

"No, you aren't! You only think you are," she amended. "Just now I
suppose you are all so wrapped up in the business you mentioned a moment
ago that you can't think of anything else."

"That's a fact," he confessed. "And yet all my thinking doesn't seem to
have got me anywhere in particular." He paused to glance about. "Where's
your maid? Is she, by any chance, where she could overhear us?"

"No, she's out. This is her afternoon off."

"Good! Then I'll start at the beginning and tell you in as few words as
possible the whole thing. But before I do begin, let me ask you a
question. It may simplify matters. Anyhow it has a bearing on my
principal reason for coming to see you to-day. Isn't Mrs. Howard
Hadley-Smith your cousin?"

"Only by marriage. Her husband was my second cousin. He belonged to the
branch of the family that owns the hyphen and most of the money. He died
six or seven years ago. He was not the most perfect creature in the
world, but Claire, his wife--his widow, I mean--is a trump. She's one of
the finest women and one of the sanest in New York."

"I'm glad to hear that. Because before we're through with this job--you
see I'm assuming in advance that you are going to be willing to help me
on it--I say, before we get through it, providing of course we do get
through it, it may be necessary to take her into our confidence. That
is, if you are