"We are," I said with a decision that surprised me. Again this wasn't the speech I had been composing.
"Suppose for the sake of argument we concede this point for the moment: was it playing square not to tell me?" and Mr. Claybourne blew a cloud of smoke rings toward the ceiling.
"We only found it out last night," I answered eagerly desirous to put myself in the right. "I came here today to tell you."
He looked sharply at me, chewing his cigar. I did not flinch this time.
"Some one was pretty slow," he said, breaking into a laugh. "I found it out two weeks ago." I moistened my lips and tried a smile on my own account.
"To come down to brass tacks, Ted, can you support a wife?"
"No, sir—at least, not yet."
"Then what right have you to go putting ideas in my little girl's head?"
"Because, sir, I love her, and there is good reason to believe that I shall be able to support her by next summer."
"I know more about your business, through my connection with the bank, than you do yourself," he commented. "Maybe what you say will be all right, and maybe it won't. Business is a funny game, Ted; with all your eggs in one basket you can't count your chickens before they're hatched." Proverbs always are annoying, if quoted against me.