have a dash at doing something on my own. No right
to, of course. A sparring-partner isn't supposed..."

"Sit down," said Sally.

Ginger sat down.

"Ginger," said Sally, "you're too good to live."

"Oh, I say!"

"I believe if someone sandbagged you and stole your watch and chain
you'd say there were faults on both sides or something. I'm just a cat,
and I say I wish your beast of a Bugs Butler had perished miserably.
I'd have gone and danced on his grave... But whatever made you go in for
that sort of thing?"

"Well, it seemed the only job that was going at the moment. I've always
done a goodish bit of boxing and I was very fit and so on, and it looked
to me rather an opening. Gave me something to get along with. You get
paid quite fairly decently, you know, and it's rather a jolly life..."

"Jolly? Being hammered about like that?"

"Oh, you don't notice it much. I've always enjoyed scrapping rather.
And, you see, when your brother gave me the push..."

Sally uttered an exclamation.

"What an extraordinary thing it is--I went all the way out to White
Plains that afternoon to find Fillmore and tackle him about that and I
didn't say a word about it. And I haven't seen or been able to get hold
of him since."

"No? Busy sort of cove, your brother."

"Why did Fillmore let you go?"

"Let me go? Oh, you mean... well, there was a sort of mix-up. A kind of
misunderstanding."

"What happened?"

"Oh, it was nothing. Just a..."

"What happened?"

Ginger's disfigured countenance betrayed embarrassment. He looked
awkwardly about the room.

"It's not worth talking about."

"It is worth talking about. I've a right to know. It was I who sent you
to Fillmore..."

"Now that," said Ginger, "was jolly decent of you."

"Don't interrupt! I sent you to Fillmore, and he had no business to let
you go without saying a word to me. What happened?"

Ginger twiddled his fingers unhappily.

"Well, it was rather unfortunate. You see, his wife--I don't know if you
know her?..."

"Of course I know her."

"Why, yes, you would, wouldn't you? Your brother's wife, I mean,"
said Ginger acutely. "Though, as a matter of fact, you often find
sisters-in-law who won't have anything to do with one another. I know a
fellow..."

"Ginger," said Sally, "it's no good your thinking you can get out of
telling me by rambling off on other subjects. I'm grim and resolute and
relentless, and I mean to get this story out of you if I have t