He paused and glanced at the door.
"He has his eye on us maybe," he added, with a little laugh.
He studied Betty's flushed face for a moment, curiously hesitated as if about to speak, changed his mind, and was silent. He drew his watch from his pocket and looked at it.
"I've ordered a carriage to wait for you at the gate at a quarter past ten," he said quickly. "I forgot to tell you."
"Why—it may take us longer than half an hour?"
"That's just it. We may be talking two hours. Such things can't be threshed out in a minute. You can introduce me, say a good word, and leave us to fight it out——"
"I want to stay," she interrupted.
"Nonsense, dear, it may take hours. Besides, I may have some things to say to the President, and he some things to say to me that it were better a sweet girl's ears should not hear——"
"That's exactly what I wish to prevent, John, dear," she pleaded. "You must be careful and say nothing to offend the President. It means too much. We must win."
"I'll be wise in the choice of words. But you mustn't stay, dear. I'm not a child. I don't need a chaperone."