"But I drink coffee."
"So do I… I may be mannish, Dave, but I don't think I'm a fool. I can understand a man drinking, but not a woman. It's too dangerous.… But I'll smoke a cigarette.
"Now, as for real estate. The fact is, I have invested."
A look came into his face which she did not understand. "With whom?" he demanded, almost peremptorily.
"With Conward & Elden," she answered, and the roguishness of her voice suggested that her despised femininity lay not far from the surface. "Were you about to be jealous?"
"Why didn't you come to me?" She realized that he was in deep earnest.
"I did," she answered, candidly. "At least, I asked for you, but you were out of town, so Conward took me in hand, and I followed his advice."
"Do you trust Conward?" he demanded almost fiercely.
"Well, he's good enough to be your partner, isn't he?"
The thrust hurt more than she knew. He had his poise again.