other's only confidante. As soon as the mathematical difficulty
could be set aside, Nancy began to speak of her private troubles.

'The Prophet was here last night,' she said, with a girlish grimace.
'He's beginning again. I can see it coming. I shall have to snub him
awfully next time.'

'Oh, what a worry he is!'

'Yes, but there's something worse. I suspected that the Pasha knew
of it; now I feel sure he's encouraging him.'

By this oriental style Nancy signified her father. The Prophet was
her father's partner in business, Mr. Samuel Bennett Barmby.

'I feel sure now that they talked it over when the Prophet was taken
into partnership. I was thrown in as a "consideration."'

'But how could your father possibly think--?'

'It's hard to say what he _does_ think about me. I'm afraid I shall
have to have a talk with him. If so, it will be a long talk, and a
very serious talk. But he isn't well just now, and I must put it
off.'

'He isn't well?'

'A touch of gout, he says. Two days last week he didn't go to
business, and his temper was _that 'orrible_!' Nancy had a habit of
facetiously quoting vulgarities; this from an acquaintance of theirs