Mr. Pottle looked into her wide blue eyes.
"I'm not," he said. "I was bluffing."
"Bluffing?"
"Yes," he said; "and so was your friend from Xenia. He's no more in the literary line than I am. His job is selling a book called 'Hog Culture.'"
"But he talks so well——" began Mrs. Gallup.
"Only about things that begin with 'A,'" said Mr. Pottle. "He memorized everything in the encyclopedia under 'A.' I simply went him one better. I memorized all of 'A,' and all of 'B' too."
"Oh, the deceitful wretch!"
"I'm sorry, Blossom. Can you forgive me?" he pleaded. "I did it because——"
She interrupted him gently.
"I know," she said, smiling. "You did it for me. I wasn't calling you a wretch, Ambrose."