Joan pondered.
"It's not exactly that," she said. "I'm not glad he was thrown out: it must have hurt him, poor dear! But I'm glad you threw him out, if you understand the difference."
Hughie was not at all sure that he did, but he nodded his head in a comprehending manner. Then he continued:—
"Tell me, Joey, if you didn't care for him, why did you send him to me, instead of giving him the knock direct?"
Joey surveyed her retired "warder" with eyes half-closed.
"Well," she said reflectively, "there were heaps of reasons, but you are a man and wouldn't understand any of them. But, roughly speaking, it was because I wanted to see how you would handle him. I knew you wouldn't let him marry me, of course, but I wanted to see how you would play your cards. (You simply don't know how fascinating these things are to watch.) Besides, I thought it would be good for him to come face to face with—a man," she added, almost below her breath.
"I only got the best of him," said Hughie humbly, "by laying all my cards on the table. There's not much finesse required for a game like that."
"Still, you won," said Joan.
Hughie sighed.
"Haliburton lost, if you like," he said; "I don't quite see what I—"