George pressed his unoccupied hand against his forehead.  This conversation was unnerving him.

“I didn’t get that,” he said.

“Didn’t get what?”

“I mean, I didn’t quite catch what you said that time.  It sounded to me like ‘What about wall-paper?’”

“It was ‘What about wall-paper?’ Why not?”

“But,” said George weakly, “it doesn’t make any sense.”

“Oh, but it does.  I mean, what about wall-paper for your den?”

“My den?”

“Your den.  You must have a den.  Where do you suppose you’re going to work, if you don’t?  Now, my idea would be some nice quiet grass-cloth.  And, of course, you would have lots of pictures and books.  And a photograph of me.  I’ll go and be taken specially.  Then there would be a piano for you to work on, and two or three really comfortable chairs.  And—­well, that would be about all, wouldn’t it?”

George pulled himself together.

“Hello!” he said.

“Why do you say ’Hello’?”

“I forgot I was in London.  I should have said ‘Are you there?’”

“Yes, I’m here.”

“Well, then, what does it all mean?”

“What does what mean?”

“What you’ve been saying—­about butter and pompanos and wall-paper and my den and all that?  I don’t understand.”

“How stupid of you!  I was asking you what sort of wall-paper you would like in your den after we were married and settled down.”

George dropped the receiver.  It clashed against the side of the table.  He groped for it blindly.

“Hello!” he said.

“Don’t say ‘Hello!’ It sounds so abrupt!”

“What did you say then?”

“I said ‘Don’t say Hello!’”

“No, before that!  Before that!  You said something about getting married.”

“Well, aren’t we going to get married?  Our engagement is announced in the Morning Post.”

“But—­But—­”

“George!” Maud’s voice shook.  “Don’t tell me you are going to jilt me!” she said tragically.  “Because, if you are, let me know in time, as I shall want to bring an action for breach of promise.  I’ve just met such a capable young man who will look after the whole thing for me.  He wears a bowler hat on the side of his head and calls waitresses ‘Mabel’.  Answer ‘yes’ or ‘no’.  Will you marry me?”

“But—­But—­how about—­I mean, what about—­I mean how about—?”

“Make up your mind what you do mean.”

“The other fellow!” gasped George.

A musical laugh was wafted to him over the wire.

“What about him?”

“Well, what about him?” said George.

“Isn’t a girl allowed to change her mind?” said Maud.

George yelped excitedly.  Maud gave a cry.

“Don’t sing!” she said.  “You nearly made me deaf.”

“Have you changed your mind?”

“Certainly I have!”

“And you really think—­You really want—­I mean, you really want—­You really think—­”