Helen was sufficiently startled to place Charlie under cross-examination at once. She had visions of grave complications wherein he played the unfortunate part of a President’s son who had forgotten the rigid discretion exacted of him by the nature of his position.

Charlie admitted that it was a reporter who had called him up.

“Couldn’t you tell that from the way I talked to him?” said he.

He had heard enough such conversations to have acquired the natural “tone,” but he insisted that the subject of his conversation with his reporter was “purely personal” and had nothing whatever to do with his sister nor yet with any matters of high importance to the Government.

The question had to be referred to the President, his father, before he would admit that the reporter wanted to write something about his going into long trousers.