“How did she take the news?”

“She doesn’t know.”

“Doesn’t know!”

“I just got my orders this morning. Won’t see her until to-morrow night.”

“Coming to dinner?”

“Yes.”

“We’ll pull a party—farewell party with all the trimmings, eh? I’ll get Madeleine and we’ll dig up a bottle of champagne and wring a poulet out of Arlette if we have to call in the police to help us. I’ll bet they would, at that.”

“It won’t be a very merry party,” said Ken, lugubriously.

Bert turned and looked at Ken. “Huh!... Something eating you again?”

“It’s a rotten mess. I don’t know what to do.”