Henshaw, shaking her head.

"Don't he?" said Mr. Stokes. "Why, he always seems quiet enough to me.
Too quiet, I should say. Why, I never knew a quieter man. I chaff 'im
about it sometimes."

"That's his artfulness," said Mrs. Henshaw.

"Always in a hurry to get 'ome," pursued the benevolent Mr. Stokes.

"He may say so to you to get away from you," said Mrs. Henshaw,
thoughtfully. "He does say you're hard to shake off sometimes."

Mr. Stokes sat stiffly upright and threw a fierce glance in the
direction of Mr. Henshaw.

"Pity he didn't tell me," he said bitterly. "I ain't one to force my
company where it ain't wanted."

"I've said to him sometimes," continued Mrs. Henshaw, "'Why don't you
tell Ted Stokes plain that you don't like his company?' but he won't.
That ain't his way. He'd sooner talk of you behind your back."

"What does he say?" inquired Mr. Stokes, coldly ignoring a frantic
headshake on the part of his friend.

"Promise me you won't tell him if I tell you," said Mrs. Henshaw.

Mr. Stokes promised.