"Our intentions are well meant, I assure you," said Van Bibber, with an
amused smile. "The girl is working ten hours a day for very little
money, isn't she? You know she is, when she could make a great deal of
money by working half as hard. We have some influence with theatrical
people, and we meant merely to put her in the way of bettering her
position, and to give her the chance to do something which she can do
better than many others, while almost any one, I take it, can sweep and
make beds. If she were properly managed, she could become a great
dancer, and delight thousands of people--add to the gayety of nations,
as it were. She's hardly doing that now, is she? Have you any
objections to that? What right have you to make objections, anyway?"

The young man regarded the two young gentlemen before him with a dogged
countenance, but there was now in his eyes a look of helplessness and of
great disquietude.

"We're engaged to be married, Annie and me," he said. "That's it."

"Oh," exclaimed Van Bibber, "I beg your pardon. That's different. Well,
in that case, you can help us very much, if you wish. We leave it
entirely with you!"

"I don't want that you should leave it with me," said the young man,
harshly. "I don't want to have nothing to do with it. Annie can speak
for herself. I knew it was coming to this," he said, leaning forward and
clasping his hands together, "or something like this. I've never felt
dead sure of Annie, never once. I always knew something would happen."

"Why, nothing has happened," said Van Bibber, soothingly. "You would