"But couldn't you possibly come to me?" Peter urged. The fact that
young Breen had a suite of rooms so sequestered as to be beyond
the reach even of a dance, altered the situation to some extent,
but he was still undecided. "I live all alone when my sister is
not with me, and I, too, have many things I am sure would interest
you. Say you'll come now--I shall expect you, shall I not?"

The boy hesitated. "You may not know exactly what I mean," he said
slowly. "Maybe you can't understand, for everybody about here
seems to love you, and you must have lots of friends. The fact is,
I feel out of everything. I get pretty lonely sometimes. Garry,
here, never stays five minutes when he comes to see me, so many
people are after him all the time. Please say you'll come!"

There was a note in the boy's voice that swept away all the older
man's scruples.

"Come, my son! Of course I'll come," burst out Peter. "I'll be
there at nine o'clock."

As Morris and the others passed between the table and the wall on
their way to the cloak-room, Minott, who had listened to the whole
conversation, waited until he thought Peter had gone ahead, and
then, with an impatient gesture, said:

"What the devil, Jack, do you want to waste your time over an old
fellow like that for?"

"Oh, Garry, don't--"