He pushed his partly mollified friend into his chair again, and taking a
seat next him began to view the affair with enthusiasm. "'Melia shall
turn young Nugent off to-night," he said, firmly.

"That's right," said the other; "go and do a few more silly things like
that and we shall be 'appy. If you'd got a 'ead instead of wot you 'ave
got, you wouldn't talk of giving the show away like that. Nobody must
know or guess about anything until young Teddy is married to 'Melia and
got the money."

"It seems something like deceitfulness," said Miss Kybird, who had been
listening to the plans for her future with admirable composure.

"It's for Teddy's own sake," said Nathan Smith. "Everybody knows 'e's
half crazy after you."

"I don't know that I don't like 'im best, even without the money," said
Miss Kybird, calmly. "Nobody could 'ave been more attentive than 'im.
I believe that 'e'd marry me if 'e 'ad a hundred thousand, but it looks
better your way."

"Better all round," said Nathan Smith, with at approving nod. "Now,
Dan'l, 'op round to Teddy and whistle 'im back, and mind 'e's to keep it
a dead secret on account o' trouble with young Nugent. D'ye twig?"

The admiring Mr. Kybird said that he was a wonder, and, in the discussion
on ways and means which followed, sat listening with growing respect to
the managing abilities both of his friend and his wife. Difficulties
were only mentioned for the purpose of being satisfactorily solved, and
he noticed with keen appreciation that the prospect of a ten thousand