Really you ought to get a necklace like mine for Mrs.Barker--it would please both, you know." She moved slowly away, the united efforts of Norah and Barker scarcely sufficing to restrain the struggling child from leaping after her as she turned at the door and blew him a kiss.
When Barker regained his room he found that Mrs.Barker had dismissed Stacy from her mind except so far as to invoke Norah's aid in laying out her smartest gown for dinner.

"But why take all this trouble, dear ?" said her simple-minded husband; "we are going to dine in a private room so that we can talk over old times all by ourselves, and any dress would suit him.

And, Lord, dear!" he added, with a quick brightening at the fancy, "if you could only just rig yourself up in that pretty lilac gown you used to wear at Boomville--it would be too killing, and just like old times.

I put it away myself in one of our trunks--I couldn't bear to leave it behind; I know just where it is.

I'll"-- But Mrs.Barker's restraining scorn withheld him.
"George Barker, if you think I am going to let you throw away and utterly WASTE Mr.Stacy on us, alone, in a private room with closed doors--and I dare say you'd like to sit in your dressing-gown and slippers--you are entirely mistaken.