Mary Louise burst out laughing.
“Haven’t you gotten over that fad yet, Cliff?” she asked.
He regarded her reprovingly.
“Don’t talk so lightly about my profession!” he said. “I’m going to be a magician. Now—I’ll explain the trick. You can look at the pack——”
“Oh, but we want to hear about the fire,” interrupted Mary Louise.
“Take a card!” was his only reply.
There was nothing to do but humor him. Jane was delighted: she loved card tricks and listened eagerly. But Mary Louise was more interested in the burning of the bungalow.
At last, however, Clifford sat down beside Jane on the couch-hammock and began to talk.
“You saw the ruins?” he inquired.
“Yes. But nobody over at Flicks’ seemed to know how it happened.”