“Pardon me, but she must not.”

“And may I ask why not?”

“My aunt lives in a flat,” she answered.

“Suppose she does?  What difference can that make?”

“It makes this difference:  Your sister couldn’t conceal the air of a patron, and I couldn’t hide my resentment; therefore,” she added with a smile that brought back all her brightness, “to be friends we must remain strangers.”

“But suppose I should call on you; would you regard it as a patronage?”

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because you are a man.”

“You women are peculiar creatures.”

“An old idea always patly expressed,” she replied.

“But isn’t it true?”

“It must be, or it wouldn’t have lived so long,” she answered.

“A pleasing sentiment,” he replied, “but old age is not a mark of truth, for nothing is grayer than falsehood.”

“But it finally dies, and truth lives on,” she rejoined.

“No, it is often buried.”

“So is a mummy buried, but it is brought to light again.”

“Yes, but it doesn’t live; it is simply a mummy.”

“Oh, well,” she said, “I know that you are wrong, but I won’t worry with it.”

John Richmond opened the door of Henry’s room.  “Come in,” Henry called, advancing to meet him.  “How are you?  And now that you are here, make yourself at home.”

“All right,” Richmond replied, sitting down, reaching out with his foot and drawing a spittoon toward him.  “How is everything running?”

“First-rate.”

“You are getting out a good paper.  I have just heard that the reward for Kittymunks has been increased.”

“Yes, it was increased not more than an hour ago.”

“Who is to pay it?”

“The State, you know, has offered a small reward; the Colossus Company is to pay twenty thousand dollars, and the remainder will be paid by the Colton estate.”

“Who constitutes the Colton estate?”

“Brooks, mainly.”

Richmond put his hand to his mouth.  “That’s what I thought,” said he.  “Do you know Brooks very well?” he asked after a short silence.

“Not very.”

“What do you think of him?”

“I despise him.”

“I thought so.  As the French say, whom does it benefit?”

They looked at each other, but said nothing.  There could be no mistake as to who was benefited.  After a time Henry remarked:  “I see that Flummers has gone to Omaha to identify a suspect.”

“He did go, but I heard some of the boys say that he returned this morning.  Is your work all done for to-day?”

“Yes, about all.”

“Suppose we go over to the club.”

“All right.  Wait a moment.”

Henry stepped into Miss Drury’s room.  “You must; forgive me,” he said, in a low tone.

“What for?” she asked, in surprise.

“For so rudely inviting you to dinner when my sister had not even called on you.”