"It's too good a household to spoil," said I. "A little innocent gaiety—a bit of persiflage en passant—that doesn't interfere with discipline. But this loitering about the vicinity of little Clelia's too brief skirts is almost becoming a habit with you."
"She's a nice girl," returned Smith, vaguely.
"Surely. And you're a very nice young man; but you know as well as I do that we can't arrange our social life to include the circle below stairs."
"You mean, in the event of travelers arriving, they might misconstrue such a democracy?"
"Certainly, they'd misjudge it. We couldn't explain why our cook was playing the piano in the living-room or why Clelia laid aside her dust-pan for a cup of tea with us at five, could we?"
"Or why Thusis and you went trout fishing together," he added pleasantly.
A violent blush possessed my countenance. So he was aware of that incident! He had gone to Zurich that day. I hadn't mentioned it.
"Smith," said I, "these are war times. To catch fish is to conserve food. Under no other circumstances——"
"I understand, of course! Two can catch more fish than one. Which caught it?"
"Thusis," I admitted. "Thusis happened to know where these Swiss trout hide and how to catch them. Naturally I was glad to avail myself of her knowledge."