them! What will those girls think of me!
They'll cut me dead--never speak to me again."

The butler came in before I could tell him that this was about what we'd
calculated on their doing, and said: "Beg pardon, sir, but there's a
lady asking for you at the telephone."

"A lady!" says Jack. "Tell her I'm not here." Talk to one of those
girls, even from a safe distance! He guessed not. He turned as pale as
a hog on ice at the thought of it.

"I'm sorry, sir," said the man, "but I've already said that you were
breakfasting here. She said it was very important."

I could see that Jack's curiosity was already getting the best of his
scare. After all, he threw out, feeling me, it might be best to hear
what she had to say. I thought so, too, and he went to the instrument
and shouted "Hello!" in what he tried to make a big, brave voice, but
it wobbled a little all the same.

I got the other end of the conversation from him when he was through.

"Hello! Is that you, Jack?" chirped the Curzon girl.

"Yes. Who is that?"

"Edith," came back. "I have your letter, but I can't make out what it's
all about. Come this afternoon and tell me, for we're still good
friends, aren't we, Jack?"

"Yes--certainly," stammered Jack.

"And you'll come?"

"Yes," he answered, and cut her off.

He had hardly recovered from this shock when a messenger boy came with a
note, addressed in a woman's writing.

"Now for it," he said, and breaking the seal read:

"'_Jack dear:_ Your horrid note doesn't say anything, nor explain
anything. Come this afternoon and tell what it means to
MABEL.'"

"Here's a go," exclaimed Jack, but he looked pleased in a sort of
sneaking way. "What do you think of it, Mr. Graham?"

"I don't like it."

"Think they intend to cut up?" he asked.

"Like a sausage machine; and yet I don't see how they can stand for you
after that letter."

"Well, shall I go?"

"Yes, in fact I suppose you must go; but Jack, be a man. Tell 'em plain
and straight that you don't love 'em as you should to marry 'em; say
you saw your old girl a few days ago and found you loved her still, or
something from the same trough, and stick to it. Take what you deserve.
If they hold you up to the bull-ring, the only thing you can do is to
propose to take the whole bunch to Utah, and let 'em share and share
alike. That'll settle it. Be firm."

"As a rock, sir."

I made Jac