ectly
natural. You always speak of things before you think, and I always think
of things before I speak."

"Well, I don't care," said Louise, by no means displeased with the
formulation. "I shall always say it was perfectly miraculous. And I want
you to give me credit for letting you have the idea after you had
thought of it."

"Yes, there's nothing mean about you, Louise, as Pinney would say. By
Jove, I'll bring Pinney in! I'll have Pinney interview Haxard concerning
Greenshaw's disappearance."

"Very well, then, if you bring Pinney in, you will leave me out," said
Louise. "I won't be in the same play with Pinney."

"Well, I won't bring Pinney in, then," said Maxwell. "I prefer you to
Pinney--in a play. But I have got to have in an interviewer. It will be
splendid on the stage, and I'll be the first to have him." He went and
sat down at his table.

"You're not going to work any more to-night!" his wife protested.

"No, just jot down a note or two, to clinch that idea of ours in the
right shape." He dashed off a few lines with pencil in his play at
several points, and then he said: "There! I guess I shall get some bones
into those two flabby idiots to-morrow. I see just how I can do it." He
looked up and met his wife's adoring eyes.

"You're wonderful, Brice!" she said.

"Well, don't tell me so," he returned, "or it might spoil me. Now I
wouldn't tell you how good you were, on any account."

"Oh yes, do, dearest!" she entreated, and a mist came into her eyes. "I
don't think you praise me enough."

"How much ought I to praise you?"

"You ought to say that you think I'll never be a hinderance to you."

"Let me see," he said, and he pretended to reflect. "How would it do to
say that if I ever come to anything worth while, it'll be because you
made me?"

"Oh, Brice! But would it be true?" She dropped on her knees at his side.

"Well, I don't know. Let's hope it would," and with these words he
laughed again and put his arms round her. Presently she felt his arm
relax, and she knew that he had ceased to think about her and was
thinking about his play again.

She pulled away, and "Well?" she asked.

He laughed at being found out so instantly. "That was a mighty good
thing your father said when you went to tell him of our engagement."

"It was _very_ good. But if you think I'm going to let you use _that_
you're very much mistaken. No, Brice! Don't you touch papa. He wouldn't
like it; he wouldn't understand