“Hash.”
Mr. Braddock removed the perfectly folded silk handkerchief from his breast pocket and passed it across his forehead.
“Look here,” he said limply, “you couldn’t tell me the whole thing from the beginning in a few simple words, could you?”
He listened with interest as Claire related the events of the day.
“Then Clarence is Hash?” he said.
“Yes.”
“And Hash is Clarence?”
“Yes; everyone calls him Hash.”
“That was what was puzzling me,” said Mr. Braddock, relieved. “That was the snag that I got up against all the time. Now that is clear, we can begin to examine this thing in a calm and judicial spirit. Let’s see if I’ve got it straight. You read this stuff in the paper and started testing him—is that right?”
“Yes. And instead of jousting, he just turned all cold-like and broke off the engagement.”