rose, frowning down at her with an expression that would
have frightened a good many women stauncher than Mary Faithful. For
she had mentioned to him what no one, not even his sluggish
conscience, had ever hinted at--his daughter's duty.

But all he said was: "Profane ladies and screaming gentlemen. Well,
I've put a screaming-gentleman tag on Gaylord Vondeplosshe--but what
about yourself? Where are you attempting to classify?"

"Me? I'll be damned if I help you out," she laughed up at him as she
moved toward the door.

Chuckling, yet defeated, Constantine admitted her triumph and sent her
back to the office in the limousine.

At that identical moment Gaylord, alias the screaming gentleman, had
been summoned to Aunt Belle's bedside. For Beatrice believed in having
two strings to her bow and she had written her aunt a second deluge of
complaints and requests. Bemoaning the sprained ankle--and the
probable regaining of three pounds which had been laboriously massaged
away--Aunt Belle had called for Gaylord's sympathy and support.

While Mary, rather perturbed yet unshaken in her convictions, returned
to the office and Constantine had decided his blood pressure could not
stand any traipsing round after folderols, Gaylord was eagerly taking
notes and saying pretty nothings to the doleful Mrs. Todd, who relied
utterly on his artistic judgment and promptness of action.

Whereupon Gaylord proudly rolled out of the Constantine gates in a
motor car bearing Constantine's monogram, and by late afternoon he had
come to a most satisfactory understanding with decorators and antique
dealers--an understanding which led to an increase in the prices
Beatrice was to pay and the splitting of the profits between one
Gaylord Vondeplosshe and the tradesmen.

"A supper!" Mark Constantine demanded crisply that same evening,
merely groaning when his sister told him that Gaylord had undertaken
all the errands and was such a dear boy. "And send it up to my
room--ham, biscuits, pie, and iced coffee, and I'm not at home if the
lord mayor calls."

He departed to the plainest room in the mansion and turned on an
electric fan to keep him company. He sat watching the lawn men at
their work, wondering what he was to do with this barn of a place.
Beatrice had told him forcibly that she was not going to live in it.
Wherein was the object of keeping it open for Belle Todd and himself
when more and more he wished for semi-solitude? Noise and crowds