“If a man plays too safe he goes broke,” objected Johnny seriously, still intent on the diagram, however.  “I notice that none of these Sundays or Saturday afternoons have money in them.  According to my plan I also allowed for two possible holidays; but why are those two special days left white?”

“Well,” hesitated Constance, flushing slightly, “May thirtieth is Decoration Day; and then I allowed for a possible birthday.”

“Birthday?” he repeated, perplexed.  “Whose?”

“Oh, anybody’s,” she hastily assured him.  “You can move the date to suit.  You know you said you weren’t going to work on Sundays, evenings, holidays or birthdays.”

“I have but one birthday this year, and it comes in the fall,” he answered, laughing; then suddenly a dazzling light blinded him.  “It’s the score keeper’s!” he guessed.

In spite of all her efforts to prevent it Constance blushed furiously.  “I had intended to give a little party on the nineteenth,” she confessed.

“I’m coming!” he emphatically announced.

Aunt Pattie Boyden swept into the room, and Johnny immediately felt that he had on tight shoes.  He had once made a fatal error before Aunt Pattie; he had confessed to having been a voter before he owned a dress suit.

Paul Gresham arrived, and Aunt Pattie was as the essence of violets.  Paul, though American-born, was a second cousin of Lord Yawpingham.  Johnny and Paul sat and inwardly barked at each other.  Johnny almost barked outwardly.

Val Russel and Bruce Townley came, and everybody breathed a sigh of relief.

“Well, Johnny,” said Val, “I just now saw your newest speculation driving down the Avenue in a pea-green gown and a purple hat.”

“I never had a speculation like that,” denied Johnny.

“Sounds like a scandal,” decided Bruce Townley.

“You might as well tell it, Val,” laughed Constance with a mischievous glance at Johnny.

“It hasn’t gone very far as yet,” replied Val, enjoying Johnny’s discomfort, “but it promises well.  Johnny and I called upon a wealthy spinster, away upon Riverside Drive, this morning, ostensibly to buy real estate.”

Val, leaning his cheek upon his knuckles with his middle finger upon his temple, imitated Miss Purry’s languishing air so perfectly that Aunt Pattie and Gresham, both of whom knew the lady, could see her in the flesh—­or at least in the bone.

“‘Ostensible’ is a good word in that neighborhood,” opined Gresham lightly.  “Were you trying to buy Miss Purry’s vacant riverfront property?”

Notwithstanding his seeming nonchalance, Gresham betrayed an earnest interest which Constance noted, and she turned to Johnny with a quick little shake of her head, but he was already answering, and she frowned slightly.

Mrs. Follison arrived, and after her the rest of the committee came trooping by twos and threes,—­a bright, busy, chattering mob which stopped all personal conversation.