der him. Right there. With the waffle iron.

"Well, Stephen," said Miss Laughton at last, "I hope you weren't too upset. Jim has played practical jokes before, but never anything like this."

"I slept like a log," lied Stephen, reflectingthat, after all, logs don't do very much sleeping.

As Jim and Stephen left Miss Laughton on the front porch and went to the car, Stephen was seething. Jim said nothing, but he was not at ease. For some minutes neither said anything as Jim drove along the road to the airport.

With his eye still on the road, Jim half turned toward Stephen and said very soberly, "I meant everything I said last night. I told you the absolute truth about everything. About me and—and how I feel about you." Stephen did not trust himself to

answer.

Jim sighed and went on. "I guess it was pretty silly to do what I did about the guest room." Suddenly he laughed. "Damn Patty! She never comes upstairs before eleven o'clock in the morning, but this morning she went up just after we came down. She said she'd forgotten to take my pajamas up yesterday."

"Your pajamas, you conniving little liar, were on the back of the bathroom door!" snapped Stephen, but he

sounded far more angry than he really

was.

"Oh, you saw those, didn't you?" said Jim with complete candor. "Honest, Stephen, those were a dirty pair— last week's."

"And you couldn't possibly have put those on, oh, no!"

Jim looked hurt, but all he said was, "I still meant everything I said." In spite of himself Stephen smiled. "That's the boy!" said Jim. "You little bastard!"

Jim turned to him and grinned. "Come off it, Stephen! You helped me a hell of a lot. I'm grateful. And you know damned well you had a ball! So did I!" He extended an im-

pudent hand and squeezed Stephen

in a tender spot.

He was still grinning when Stephen saw him waving at the barrier. As the plane began to taxi, the grin changed into that wonderful smile.

Stephen had finished his rarebit and had poured himself a double Scotch when the telephone rang. It was Western Union:

CAN YOU PUT ME UP A WEEK BEFORE PLANE LEAVES FOR EUROPE AUNT MARY SAYS OKAY WITH HER IF OKAY WITH YOU JIM

Stephen sat for a moment dreaming. He could use a few days of vacation in early June Then he poured another slug of Scotch and smilingly picked up the telephone.

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