"Thank you, madam. You are very flattering."
"No—I mean it. I don't want to seem unkind, but your temperament and my husband's are as wide apart as the poles."
He opened wide his eyes as he asked,
"In what particular, s'il vous plait?"
"Kenneth is frank, outspoken. He is not the type of man who takes rash risks. He is very conservative, scrupulously honest. He has fine ideals. While you——"
He laughed loudly.
"I? I am secretive, cunning, reckless, materialistic—is that it, madam?"
"I did not say so, but since you draw your portrait so well——"
He bit his lip. This girl with the flaxen hair and large lustrous eyes was more than a match for him in a battle of wits. He was making no headway at all. It was time to play his trump card. Softly he said:
"You said your husband was judicious, conservative——"