"I hope I can tell her all about this, sometime," he said wearily.
"Bosh! What's the use? Thank God some women know that some women are square without being told. Men seem to think we're all cats. Even women talk of each other as if they were a different sort of human animal. But not Miss Payson--she's a thoroughbred. I can see _that_ all right. You can't fool Fancy Gray about petticoats. I take off my hat to her. She's got every woman _you_ ever had running after you beaten a mile. Don't you worry--she'll never be surprised to find that a woman can be square. Well, I'll fade away then."
As she talked she buttoned up her jacket and stuck the hat pin in her hair. Now her eyes grew dreamier and she went over and sat on the arm of his chair and put her hand on his hair affectionately, saying:
"Say, Frank, I don't know--after all, perhaps sometime you might just tell her this--sometime when the thing's all going straight, when she's got over--well, what I saw in her eyes to-night--when she finds out what you're worth--when she really knows how good you are--you just tell her this--say: 'There's one thing about Fancy Gray, she always played fair!' She'll know then; but just now, you can be careful of her--watch out what you do with her, she's going to suffer a whole lot if you don't. You know something about women, but you'll find out that when you're sure enough in love you'll need it all, and what you know isn't a drop in the bucket to what you've got to learn. I hope you'll get it good and hard. It'll do you good. You only know one side now. You'll learn the rest from her. She's not the sort to do things half-way. When she begins to go she'll go the limit."
She leaned over him. "You might give me one kiss just to brace me up, will you? It may take the taste of Vixley off my lips. Well, so long. Don't take any Mexican money! If there's anything I can do, let me know." She rose and tossed a smile at him with her old jaunty grace. Then she patted him on the cheek and went swiftly out.
By artful questions, and apparently innocent remarks to lure his confidence, by a little guess-work, more observation, and a profound knowledge of the frailties of human nature, Madam Spoll had plied Oliver Payson to good advantage.