"I don't know. Perhaps for ever, if I get yellow fever."
"I wish you wouldn't talk like that."
"Man is mortal," said Maxwell, with gloomy relish.
"Man is silly," retorted Kaituna rising to her feet, "so I'm going to ask Mr. Clendon to sing a song."
"You never ask me!" said the young man reproachfully.
"Oh! can engineers sing?"
Maxwell said a naughty word under his breath, and walked meekly to the piano beside her. Toby was in possession of the instrument, and was giving Miss Valpy selections from the latest London burlesque.
"This is the dance, you know," he said playing a breakdown; "and then comes the song 'Skip the gutter daddy, dear,'--a rippin' song."
"Sounds like it," said Maxwell, caustically; "so refined."
"Well, you needn't talk my boy, I've seen you enjoying it immensely."