and I'd kind of like to----"

"No doubt," says Aunty. "Are you quite certain, however, that Verona
would like it too?"

"I'm always guessin' where Vee is concerned," I admits; "but by the
latest dope I had on the subject, I expect she wouldn't object
strenuous."

Aunty sniffs. "It is quite possible," says she. "Verona is a whimsical,
wilful girl at times, just as her poor mother was. Keeping up this
pretense of friendship for you is one of her silly notions."

"Thanks awfully, Ma'am," says I.

"Let me see," goes on Aunty, squintin' foxy at me, "you are employed in
Mr. Ellins's office, I believe?"

I nods.

"As office boy, still?" says she.

"No, as a live one," says I. "Anybody that stays still very long at the
Corrugated gets canned."

"Please omit meaningless jargon," says Aunty. "Does my niece know just
how humble a position you occupy? Have you ever told her?"

"Why," says I, "I don't know as I've ever gone into details."

"Ah-h-h!" says she. "I was certain that Verona did not fully realize.
Perhaps it would be as well that she----" and here she breaks off
sudden, like she'd been struck with a new idea. For a second or so she
gazes blank over the top of my head, and then she comes to with a brisk,
"That will do, young man! Verona is not at home. You need not trouble to
call again. The maid will show you out. Celeste!"

And the next thing I knew I was ridin' down again with Cephas. I'm some
shunter myself; but I dip the colors to Aunty: she does it so neat and
sudden! It must be like the sensation of havin' a flight of trick stairs
fold up under you,--one minute you're most to the top, the next you're
pickin' yourself up at the bottom.

What worries me most, though, is this hint she drops about Vee. Looks
like the old girl had something up her sleeve; but what it is I can't
dope out. So all I can do is keep my eyes open and my ear stretched for
the next few days, watchin' for something to happen.

Course, I had one or two other things on my mind meanwhile; for down at
the gen'ral offices we wa'n't indulgin' in any spring-fever
symptoms,--not with three big deals under way, all this income mess of
deductin' at the source goin' on, and Mr. Robert's grand scheme for
dissolvin' the Corrugated--on paper--bein' worked out. Oh, sure, that's
the easiest thing we do. We've split up into nineteen sep'rate and
distinct corporations, with a diff'rent set of directors for each one,
and if the Attorney General c