thers that you'd gone a bit dotty. I must say you're
looking somehow different, you and Mr. Burton too. It's quite like old
times, though, to see you sitting there together. You used to come in
after every sale and sit just where you're sitting now and go through
the papers. How's the business?"

"Very good," Mr. Waddington admitted. "How have you been getting
along, eh?"

The young lady sighed. She rolled her eyes at Mr. Waddington in a
manner which was meant to be languishing.

"Very badly indeed," she declared, "thanks to you, you neglectful,
ungrateful person! I've heard of fickle men before but I've never met
one to come up to one that I could name."

Mr. Waddington moved a little uneasily in his place.

"Been to the theatre lately?" he inquired.

The theatre was apparently a sore point.

"Been to the theatre, indeed!" she repeated. "Why, I refused all the
other gentlemen just so as to go with you, and as soon as we got nicely
started, why, you never came near again! I've had no chance to go."

Mr. Waddington took out a little book.

"I wonder," he suggested, "if any evening--" "Next Thursday night at
seven o'clock, I shall be free," the young lady interrupted promptly.
"We'll have a little dinner first, as we used to, and I want to go to
the Gaiety. It's lucky you came in," she went on, "for I can assure you
that I shouldn't have waited much longer. There are others, you know,
that are free enough with their invitations."

She tossed her head. With her hands to the back of her hair she turned
round to look at herself for a moment in one of the mirrors which lined
the inside of the bar. Burton grinned at his late employer.

"Now you've gone and done it!" he whispered. "Why, you'll have taken a
bean before then!"

Mr. Waddington started.

"I'll have to make some excuse," he said.

"You won't be able to," Burton reminded him. "Excuses are not for us,
nowadays. You'll have to tell the truth. I'm afraid you've rather put
your foot in it."

Mr. Waddington became thoughtful. The young lady, having disposed of
some other customers, returned to her place. She rubbed the counter for
a few minutes with a duster which hung from the belt around her waist.
Then she leaned over once more towards them.

"It's a pity Maud's off duty, Mr. Burton," she remarked. "She's been
asking about you pretty nearly every day."

A vision of Maud rose up before Burton's eyes. First of all he
shivered. Then in some vague, un