"Oku must be more careful. I never knew him to do a thing like this before."
Virginia approached her future brother-in-law. In a quick undertone she said:
"Tell him."
"Not on your life," he answered in the same tragic whisper. "He doesn"t suspect us. We can get away with it."
Utterly disgusted, Virginia moved toward her host.
"Mr. Stafford!" she said loudly and firmly.
He looked up, surprised at her manner and tone.
"Yes?" he smiled.
"Oku didn"t break it."
Stafford stared at her in amazement.
"Didn"t he?"
"No."
"Really?"
"No--it wasn"t Oku." She hesitated a moment; as if still unwilling to disclose the real culprit, Finally she said: "We--we did--it."
An expression of amused surprise came over his face, as he echoed:
"Did we?"
He looked from one to the other, his glance finally failing on f.a.n.n.y.
Alarmed at his scrutiny, she hurriedly pointed to her sister and her fiance:
"Not me! Them!" she exclaimed.
Stafford smiled. Although it meant a serious loss, to say nothing of the blow to his pride as a collector he was too much the man of the world to betray annoyance or to permit a little accident of that kind to spoil the evening"s enjoyment. Courteously he said:
"It doesn"t matter in the least."
Ashamed to hide behind a woman"s skirts any longer, Jimmie now came forward. In a halfhearted fashion, he said:
"I was looking at it when Virginia suddenly addressed me and I dropped it." With airy self-a.s.surance, he added: "Of course I"ll pay for it."
Stafford shrugged his shoulders. Carelessly he said:
"Please don"t give it another thought, any of you."
Leaving her companions, Virginia approached her host. Looking up at him earnestly, she said in an undertone:
"I can"t tell you how sorry I am."
He was so tall that, standing close by she had to look up at him. As he stood there, so big and strong, smiling down at her, taking good-naturedly what might well have irritated any man, she thought to herself how handsome and nice he was. Looking into her eyes with the same ardent expression she had so often noticed in his glance, he said softly:
"The only thing that I could possibly regret is the fact that the incident might throw a little cloud over what I hope will be a very pleasant evening. If you want to be really good to me, you will promise me you won"t even think of it again. Is it a promise?"
"I"ll do my best," she murmured.
"Thank you." Turning to f.a.n.n.y, he said: "And you?"
"Of course," she replied confusedly; "it wasn"t any of my affair--but--"
"Then it can"t bother you," he laughed.
"No," she smiled.
The host turned to the shipping clerk.
"Mr. Gillie?"
Jimmie a.s.sumed a ludicrous expression. Hesitatingly he said:
"I feel as though I ought to pay for it."
"Oh, no, no!" laughed Stafford.
"Yes," exclaimed the clerk, as if fully prepared to pay out $3,000 at a moment"s notice, "that"s the way I feel, but if you insist--"
"And I certainly do," said his host decidedly.
"Then," rejoined the clerk reluctantly, "I suppose I shall have to let the matter drop."
Stafford smiled.
"Then it is settled. Good!" Turning to Virginia, he said: "I think you told me that your sister and Mr. Gillie are engaged."
"Yes."
Going up to f.a.n.n.y and her betrothed, he extended a hand to both:
"Congratulations! I hope you"ll both be very, very happy."
"Thank you," said f.a.n.n.y, with a little courtesy.
"Oh, I guess we"ll be all right," said Jimmie airily.
Dropping into the easy chair near the table, the clerk helped himself uninvited to another cigar. Stafford took another seat near him, while Virginia and her sister continued to find pleasure in examining some of the art treasures scattered all about them.