Joan, curiosity struggling with honesty, nodded reluctantly.
"Anyhow," continued Hughie, "I thought I did then, but I'm blessed if I know now. In fact," he added in a sudden burst of confidence, "sometimes I can't stand you at any price, Joey dear!"
"Ah!" said Miss Gaymer, nodding a wise head, "I see you don't know your own mind yet. But you will—one way or another—as soon as you get away from me."
A week later another interview took place between the pair, on the same spot.
"Business only this time, Joey!" said Hughie, with rather laborious cheerfulness.
"All right. Did you have a good time in town?" inquired Miss Gaymer, in the inevitable manner of women and Orientals, who dislike coming to the point in matters of business without a few decent preliminaries.
"Yes, thanks. I have been picking up old friends again, and generally settling down," said Hughie. "Got a flat, and a comic man-servant—Scotchman—introduce you some day. He—"
He plunged into a rather rambling description of John Alexander Goble. He was evidently no more anxious to get to business than Joan.
At last Miss Gaymer inquired,—