them that utterly defied restraint?

"May I come in for a little?" she said.

She asked in such a friendly smiling way, so modest and yet so
unafraid, that even the greatest Don Juan could not have mistaken her
honest intention.

"I shall be more than charmed to have your company," I said.

"I'm afraid we soon forget the conventionalities in our service," she
said simply. "Tiel has gone out, and I was getting very tired of my
own company."

"Imagine how tired I have got of mine!" I cried.

She gave a little understanding nod.

"It must be dreadfully dull for you," she agreed with great
sincerity--and she added, as she seated herself in my wicker chair, "I
have another excuse for calling on you, and that is, that the more
clearly we all three understand what we are doing, the better. Don't
you think so?"

"Decidedly! In fact I only wish we all thought the same."

She looked at me inquiringly, and yet as though she comprehended quite
well.

"You mean----?"

"Well, to be quite frank, I mean Tiel. He is very clever, and he knows
his work. Mein Gott, we can teach him nothing! And perhaps he trusts
you implicitly and is quite candid. But he certainly tells me no more
than he can help."

"He tells nobody more than he can help," she said. "You are no worse
treated than any one else he works with. But it is a little annoying
sometimes."

"For instance, do you know what he is doing to-night?" I asked.

There was no mistaking the criticism in the little shrug with which she
replied--

"I half suspect he is walking about in the dark by himself just to make
me think he is busy on some mysterious affair!"

"Do you actually mean that?" I exclaimed.

"No, no," she said hastily, "not really quite that! But he sometimes
tempts one to say these things."

"Have you worked with him often before?"

"Enough to know his little peculiarities." She smiled suddenly. "Oh,
he is a very wonderful man, is my dear brother!"

Again I was delighted (I confess it shamelessly!) to hear that
unmistakable note of criticism.

"'Wonderful' may have several meanings," I suggested.

"It has in his case," she said frankly. "He really is extraordinarily
clever."

She added nothing more, but the implication was very clear that the
other meanings were not quite so flattering. I felt already that this
strange little household was divided into two camps, and that Eileen
and I were together in one.

"But we have talked e