"'Phone him--that Virginia--"

"Sure! He'd think she'd given in and she'd think the same of him. It
would be a case of a pair of open arms, the rustle of a skirt, a
little head on a manly chest and then good-bye John, farewell
everything, and the lid is off! I imagine that is some idea!"

Fanny clasped her hands nervously. Hesitatingly she exclaimed:

"Oh--I think it's splendid! But--what if they found out?"

"What would it matter if they'd already made up?" he grinned.

"But do you think it would be right?"

"Oh, no!" he cried mockingly. "Certainly not! It would be a terrible
crime to unite a husband and wife and fix up a broken home! To say
nothing of giving me back my regular job at a hundred and fifty. Shall
I?"

Fanny wrung her hands with excitement. It certainly was a daring plan.

"I--I'm scared," she stammered, unwilling to commit herself.

"I'm not," he said boldly, "I'm never afraid of any game where I can't
lose! And if it came through, you know what it would mean for us--good
clothes, good food, money to spend and nothing to worry about except
moving down to a Hundred and Twenty-fifth street! What do you say?"

"I don't know--" she answered hesitatingly.

"And then," he continued persuasively, "you must think of little
Virgie. A baby makes a lot of difference--"

"Indeed it does," she replied warmly. "I bet Virginia would never have
left Robert if they had had a baby."

"Shall I do it?" he asked tentatively.

"I'm scared. I am--honest I am!"

"Oh, go on! Be game!" he coaxed. "Besides, we have everything to win
and nothing to lose and for a gamble you can't beat that!"

"But, Jimmie--" she exclaimed fearfully.

He paid no attention to her objections. All absorbed in his idea, he
went on eagerly:

"There's no time to lose. Virginia's likely to be back any minute now
and if we're going to put it through, we must do it quick. Shall I?
Shall I?"

Fanny, flustered, was at a loss what to say.

"Why do you put the responsibility on to me?" she exclaimed. "You're
the one to decide. You're the head of the house."

He grinned. The head of the house? Of course he was. Why hadn't he
thought of it before? That being the case, he need consult no one but
himself. Swelling up with self-importance, he exclaimed:

"Sure I am. I'll do it!"

Going into the hall, he quickly took the receiver off the telephone.

"Jimmie!" exclaimed his wife excitedly.

He stayed his hand and looked around.

"What?