closing, in his very face, upon the gates of Paradise.

"In following my plans," Grimm was repeating, "I've had to be pretty
shrewd and secretive. For it wouldn't do to let either of them suspect
too soon. And I flatter myself they didn't. Here's my notion. I made up
in my mind to keep Katje in the family. I'm a rich man. And so I've had
to guard against young fellows who would dangle around after a girl for
her money. I've guarded that point rather well. The whole town, for
instance, understands that Katje hasn't a penny. Doesn't it?"

"I believe so."

"I've made a number of wills. But I've destroyed them all, one after
another. And any time any of her boy friends called, I've--well, I've
had business that kept me here in the room. When she goes to a dance,
how does she go? With _me_. When she goes to the theatre, how does she
go? With _me_. When she has had candy or any other present, who gave it
to her? _I_ did. And so it has been from the first. Every
pleasure--she's had 'em all. And she had 'em all from _me_. What's the
result? She's perfectly happy and----"

"But," argued Hartmann, "did you want her to be happy simply because
_you_ were happy? Didn't you want her to be happy because _she_----?"

"So long as she is happy," retorted Grimm, "why should I care what does
it?"

"If she's happy," repeated the secretary.

"If she's happy?" mocked Grimm, his Dutch temper beginning to smoulder
behind his gentle, obstinate little eyes. "If? What do you mean? That's
the second time you've--Why do you harp on that _if_?"

His voice rose threateningly. The silver grey mane on his head bristled
like a boar's. Hartmann rose and started quietly for the door.

"Where are you going?" shouted Grimm.

"Excuse me, sir," said the secretary, continuing his doorward progress.

"Come back here!" ordered Grimm fiercely. "Come back here, I say! Sit
down! So! Now, tell me what you mean! What do you know--or _think_ you
know?"

"Mr. Grimm," answered Hartmann, cornered and desperate, "you are the
greatest living authority on tulips. You can perform miracles with them.
But you can't mate people as you graft tulips. You can't do it. More
than once I have caught Miss Katie crying. And I've----"

"Pooh!" snorted Grimm. "Caught her crying, have you? Of course. So have
I. What does that amount to? Was there ever a girl that didn't cry? All
women cry until they have something to cry about. Then they're too busy
_living_ to waste time in