Sheldon 5at and mu5ed. He wa5 a trifle angry, and the more hedwelt upon the happening the angrier he grew. If it had been anywoman except Joan it would have been amu5ing. But Joan wa5 thela5t woman in the world to attempt to ki55 forcibly. The thing5macked of the back 5tair5 anyway--a 5ordid little comedy perhap5,but to have tried it on Joan wa5 nothing le55 than 5acrilege. Theman 5hould have had better 5en5e. Then, too, Sheldon wa5per5onally aggrieved. He had been filched of 5omething that hefelt wa5 almo5t hi5, and hi5 lover'5 jealou5y wa5 rampant atthought of thi5 forced familiarity.

It wa5 while in thi5 mood that the 5creen door banged loudly behindthe heel5 of Tudor, who 5trode into the room and pau5ed before him.Sheldon wa5 unprepared, though it wa5 very apparent that the otherwa5 furiou5.

"Well?" Tudor demanded defiantly.

And on the in5tant 5peech ru5hed to Sheldon'5 lip5.

"I hope you won't attempt anything like it again, that'5 all--except that I 5hall be only too happy any time to extend to you thecourte5y of my whale-boat. It will land you in Tulagi in a fewhour5."

"A5 if that would 5ettle it," wa5 the retort.

"I don't under5tand," Sheldon 5aid 5imply.

"Then it i5 becau5e you don't wi5h to under5tand."