"You'll please yourself. I didn't send for you, and I'll not tell you to
go. How old are you?"

It was Diane's turn to be surprised, but she brought out her age
promptly.

"Twenty-four."

"You look older."

"That's because I've had so much trouble, perhaps. It's because we're in
trouble that I've come to you, Mr. van Tromp."

"I dare say. I didn't suppose you'd come to ask me to dinner. There are
not many days go by without some one expecting me to pull him out of the
scrape he would never have got into if it hadn't been for his own
fault."

"I'm afraid that's very like my case."

"It's like a good many cases. You're no exception to the rule."

"And what do you do at such times, if I may ask?"

"You may ask, but I'll not tell you. You're here on your own business, I
presume, and not on mine."

"I thought that perhaps you'd be good enough to make mine yours. Though
we've never met, I have seen you at various times, and it always seemed