"I haven't decided yet, dear. One thing at a time," replied her mistress, steadily....
But in the end it was Archie who decided.
He had acquiesced without comment in all Joan's arrangements. Only once had he protested. It was when she telegraphed Stefan Nikolai for the money.
"Not that, Joan—not that, please!" he said, with a quick flush. "I'd rather go to the Pen than that—Really, the Pen will be quite a rest for me," he added, piteously.
"Nonsense!" she replied; and he said no more.
But for all his acquiescence, he did not seem to be numbed by the thing, as Joan was. Though she often heard him walking up and down his room at night, and suffered for him, at times he appeared almost happy.
"I can't get over how good people are!" he said once. "Think of Mr. Moore being willing to take me back! Not as manager, of course—the boys wouldn't be wanting to take orders from me yet awhile. Nor I couldn't expect to handle money. But he sent for me, and said I was the best salesman he'd ever had, and offered me the old job back on a commission basis! Pretty nice, what?"
"Shall you take it?" she asked, curiously. She herself could not have faced disgrace with any such meekness.
"Take it? Why, I jumped at the chance!"
Joan flushed.