"You've been our good genius all round," said I. "And I owe you——"
"Now, don't offer me more rewards! It was fun wheedling things from you at first; but bribes have been getting on my nerves lately. The play was played out."
"Let's pretend it was only a curtain-raiser," I suggested. "I'd like you to be 'on' in the next piece, in the leading part. Mary Milton! What a delicious name! And you're delicious! It's a great comfort to understand why I was never really in love with either of those Angels. You are not an angel—but I'm going to be madly in love with you. I feel it coming on. I shall adore you."
"Nonsense! A man mustn't be in love with his aunt."
"I strip you of your aunthood. But I can't give you up to The Meteor. If you go to America, you must personally conduct Ronald Lester Starr. You oughtn't to mind. You're used to looking after him."
I took a step toward her; but she stooped down and framed the ugly pansy of Tibe's face between her little hands.
"Tibe, what do you say to him?" she asked.
Tibe wagged his tail.
While he was wagging, the others came in. Their looks of radiant new happiness changed to surprise at sight of my companion. In spite of the dress nobody recognized the pretty girl with the wonderful eyes and crisp masses of sparkling auburn hair.
Yesterday I would have sacrificed anything, up to Tibe himself, to avoid explanations, but now I enjoyed them.