"Take your tea, dear, before it gets cold."

Jimmie was repulsed, but not beaten. The prize was too important to permit of his accepting defeat so easily. Rising from his seat, he said in a more conciliatory tone:

"I was only going to say--suppose he was to send for her--or come for her?"

Virginia looked up with an expression of mingled surprise and alarm.

Almost anxiously she exclaimed:

"Robert--come for me! There isn't the slightest chance in the world."

The clerk grinned knowingly. With the self-important air of a man who enjoys the confidence of others, he said significantly:

"I wouldn't be so sure if I were you."

"Why what do you know about it?" demanded f.a.n.n.y in pretended surprise.

"He's crazy in love with her--that's what I know," he said.

Virginia shook her head despondently.

"Not enough to come for me," she said. "He said he would never do it--and he never will. That's the kind of man he is."

"Per--perhaps" suggested f.a.n.n.y, "just perhaps--he might."

"No," murmured Virginia, "you don't know him as well as I. Once he makes up his mind, no one can induce him to change it."

"But if he should," persisted Jimmie craftily, taking a seat near her and adopting a cordial, sympathetic tone.

"He won't," replied Virginia sadly. "We'll have to go along just as we are! And we might be much worse off, don't forget that. Even as it is, we're getting twenty dollars a week between us. I'm getting seven and Jimmie's getting thirteen--"

"I _was_ getting thirteen," interrupted Jimmie ruefully.

Virginia looked at him.

"They've raised you?" she asked quickly.

"No. They've fired me."

"Discharged?"

"Yes."

"Do you mean to say you have lost your job?"

"Of course I have. How could you expect me to keep it? Do you think I could work under a man getting thirty dollars a week--me, who used to get a hundred and fifty?"

"Fired!" echoed f.a.n.n.y, turning pale. "Why--what's the matter?"

Jimmie a.s.sumed an injured air. With nonchalance he explained:

"Oh, I could see that lots of things were wrong with the system. When I went to give the manager of the department the benefit of my advice and wide experience, instead of taking it and being thankful for it, he fired me--fired me cold. The bonehead!"

Virginia stared at him in dismay.

"But what are we going to do now?" she cried.

f.a.n.n.y had collapsed on to a chair, the picture of utter discouragement. Weakly she repeated after her sister:

"Yes, what are we going to do now?"

"Don't worry," smiled the young man confidently. "Everything's going to be all right."

"But if it shouldn't?" argued his wife.

"It will," he retorted. With a significant glance towards his sister-in-law, he added: "You know about my new idea!"

f.a.n.n.y gave a snort of scornful incredulity.

"Oh, you and your ideas!"

He shrugged his shoulders contemptuously. What was the good of arguing with a bunch of women? That was just how his ideas had always been laughed at, and that was why he had never been able to do anything with them. Angrily he exclaimed:

"I know what you think about 'em. Gee, but ain't you women the comforting lot!"

With this parting shot he turned on his heel and disappeared into the kitchen. Virginia, afraid that she was the cause of this little domestic storm, said apologetically:

"I'm sorry you quarrelled. Don't blame him too much, though. Things are rather hard for him."

"For him?" echoed f.a.n.n.y in surprise. "What about you?"

"Oh, I'll manage," replied her sister quietly.

"He had no right to lose that job," said f.a.n.n.y angrily.

"He'll soon find another," said Virginia encouragingly. "Till he does we'll get along some way. We've shared the good times together and we'll take the hard ones the same way."

"My, but you are a thoroughbred!" exclaimed her sister admiringly. "If any girl ever deserved to be happy, you're the one."

"The same to you and many of them," laughed Virginia.

At that moment the front doorbell rang. f.a.n.n.y half rose to go and open, but sat down again.

"Oh, it's only the postman. Jimmie will go."

Taking both her sister's hands in hers and bending over, f.a.n.n.y embraced her sister affectionately. Soothingly she said:

"Things ought to turn for you pretty soon, dear. I hope that they will. How I hope they do!"