like that?"

"You probably have better jewels of your own," carelessly replied
Adoree; then she voiced a very tame and womanly oath as a
marshmallow dripped into the flames. "Pickles! I spoiled that
one."

"But the Cabachon rubies are real."

"Sure. So is the 'square toe' who brings 'em and takes 'em away;
so is the bond that covers 'em. Lordy, but they ARE pretty!"

"Then the King didn't give them to you?"

"My dear, I never saw a king--outside of a pinochle deck. If I
lost one of those rubies the Maiden Lane Shylock who owns them
would tear enough curled hair out of his beard to fill a mattress.
You never really believed that King stuff, did you?"

"Why, yes."

"I had no idea it worked so well." Again Miss Demorest smiled
crookedly. "No wonder you didn't want to go to the Waldorf with
me; I wonder you consented to come here."

"Your advance work is great--"

"I knew the public swallowed it; but I supposed the profession
knew press stuff when they saw it. I sang and danced for ten years
in this country and never got better time than the schutzen parks