“Brace yourself, Mr. Robert,” says I, “for you got a jolt comin’.”

“Why,” says he, “you can’t mean that—­”

I nods.

“Rupert had the right dope,” says I.  “It was just where he said it was—­jewels and everything.  Why, say, we got enough to stock a museum—­sacks full.”

“Oh, I say, Torchy!” says he, after starin’ at me a second.  “What’s the sense?”

“I don’t claim there’s any sense to it,” says I.  “It was the simplest stunt you ever saw.  We just went and dug, that’s all.  But there was the stuff.  And we got away with it.  You might’s well get used to believing though, for I’m applyin’ right now for a block of Corrugated preferred.  That’s what I’m goin’ to soak my share into.”

“Your share?” says he.  “But I didn’t understand that you—­”

“Vee and I helped locate the treasure mound,” I explains, “and got counted in just in time.  And say, the best is yet to come.  It’s goin’ to be Vee and me for keeps pretty soon.”

“Wha-a-at!” says he.  “You’ve won over Auntie?”

“Right and regular,” says I.  “Vee’s wearin’ the ring.”

Say, Mr. Robert’s got a grip on him when he gets real enthusiastic.  I could feel it in my fingers for hours after.  Then he had to call in Piddie and tell him, and by noon the word has been passed all through the offices.  I expect it started modest, but by the time it got to that bunch of young hicks in the bond room they had it that I was going to marry a Newport heiress, resign from the Corrugated, and live abroad.

“In some swell Scotch castle, I suppose?” one of ’em asks.

“Unless I can rent Buckingham Palace,” says I.  “Say, it’s a wonder you boys would let anybody feed you a chunk like that!  Newport heiress be blowed!  She’s just a nice New York girl, one I’ve known four or five years; and when it comes to settlin’ down we’ll most likely look for three rooms on the top floor with a two-by-four bath and a foldin’ kitchenette.  I’ll be satisfied at that, though.”

It’s a great state of mind to be in.  I hope I didn’t look as foolish as I felt.  If I had I guess they’d have had most of my private seccing gone over careful.  But nobody seemed to suspect how giddy I was in the head.  I goes caromin’ around, swappin’ smiles with perfect strangers and actin’ like I thought life was just a continuous picnic, with no dishes to wash afterwards.

Course, my reg’lar evenin’ program is to doll up after dinner and drop around.  I’ll admit Auntie hadn’t issued any standin’ invitation, but if Vee was expectin’ me that’s enough.  And she was.  We went to shows some, or took walks up the Drive, or just sat in the window nook and indulged in merry conversation.  Once we had a whale of a time, when Mr. Robert gives a perfectly good dinner dance for us.  Oh, the real thing—­Cupid place-cards, a floral centerpiece representin’ twin hearts, and all that sort of stuff.  I begun to feel as if it was all over but the shoutin’.  Even got to scoutin’ around at odd times, pricin’ small apartments and gazin’ into furniture store windows.