has heard from a friend of his who
overheard a conversation between Betty Sheridan and my wife at luncheon.
From this he inferred that the two were planning an investigation of
some of the city's problems."

Uncle Martin looked relieved.

"Oh, your wife and your stenographer. That can be stopped, I suppose,
without undue exertion."

"Betty is no longer my stenographer."

"Left, has she?" said Jaffry. "I had an idea she would not stay with you
long."

This intimation was not agreeable to George. He would have liked to
explain that Miss Sheridan's departure had been dictated by the will
of the head of the firm; in fact he opened his mouth to do so. But the
remembrance that this would entail a long and wearisome exposition of
his reasons caused him to remain silent, and his uncle went on: "Well,
anyhow, you can get Genevieve to drop it."

If Doolittle had not been there, George would have been glad to discuss
with his uncle, who had, after all, a sort of worldly shrewdness, how
far a man is justified in controlling his wife's opinions. But before an
audience now a trifle unsympathetic, he could not resist the temptation
of making the gesture of a man magnificently master in his own house.

He smiled quite grandly. "I think I can promise that," he said.

Doolittle got up slowly, bringing his jaws together in a relentless bite
on the unresisting gum.

"Well," he said, "that's all there is to it." And he added significantly
as he reached the door, "If you kin _do_ it!"

When the campaign manager had gone, Uncle Martin asked very, very
gently: "You don't feel any doubt of being able to do it, do you,
George?"

"About my ability to control--I mean influence, my wife? I feel no doubt
at all."

"And Penfield, I suppose, can tackle Betty? You won't mind my saying
that of the two I think your partner has the harder job."

A slight cloud appeared upon the brow of the candidate.

"I don't feel inclined to ask any favor of Penny just at present," he
said haughtily. "Has it ever struck you, Uncle Martin, that Penny has an
unduly emotional, an almost feminine type of mind?"

"No," said the other, "it hasn't, but that is perhaps because I have
never been sure just what the feminine type of mind is."

"You know what I mean," answered George, trying to conceal his
annoyance at this sort of petty quibbling. "I mean he is too personal,
over-excitable, irrational and very hard to deal with."

"Dear me," said Jaffry. "Is