"Now about those letters?"
Darcy looked them over hurriedly, and remarked:—
"Purely commercial."
"So I supposed. But how do you explain that sentence in your letter, in which you refer to there being a happy future for both of you?"
The Colonel thrust his hands in his pockets, and looked the Secretary squarely in the face.
"See here, Stanley," he said. "I'm not altogether a cad, and I'll be damned if I explain any more."
The Secretary flushed, and there was an awkward silence, which he broke by speaking nervously.
"That's all, I think," he continued, "except—I suppose you'll have no trouble in getting the money?"
Darcy laughed.
"Give me twenty-four hours," he said.