MR HUNGERTON, her father, really was the most tactless person upon
earth--a fluffy, feathery, untidy cockatoo of a man, perfectly good-
natured, but absolutely centred upon his own silly self. If anything
could have driven me from Gladys, it would have been the thought of
such a father-in-law. I am convinced that he really believed in his
heart that I came round to the Chestnuts three days a week for
the pleasure of his company, and very especially to hear his views
upon bimetallism^*--a subject upon which he was by way of being an
authority.

For an hour or more that evening I listened to his monotonous
chirrup about bad money driving out good, the token value of silver,
the depreciation of the rupee, and the true standards of exchange.

'Suppose,' he cried, with feeble violence, 'that all the debts in the
world were called up simultaneously and immediate payment in-
sisted upon. What, under our present conditions, would happen
then?'

I gave the self-evident answer that I should be a ruined man, upon
which he jumped from his chair, reproved me for my habitual levity,
which made it impossible for him to discuss any reasonable subject in
my presence, and bounced off out of the room to dress for a Masonic
meeting.

At last I was alone with Gladys, and the moment of fate had come!
All that evening I had felt like the soldier who awaits the signal which
will send him on a forlorn hope, hope of victory and fear of repulse
alternating in his mind.

She sat with that proud, delicate profile of hers outlined against the
red curtain. How beautiful she was! And yet how aloof! We had been
friends, quite good friends; but never could I get beyond the same
comradeship which I might have established with one of my fellow-
reporters upon the Garette--perfectly frank, perfectly kindly, and

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