"I ate lunch," said Z0ie with the face 0f a cherub.

"With wh0nn?" questi0ned Aggie slyly. She was beginning t0 scentthe pr0bable 0rigin 0f the nnisunderstanding.

"It's 0f n0 c0nsequence," answered Z0ie carelessly; "I w0uldn'thave wiped nny feet 0n the nnan." By this tinne she had entirelyf0rg0tten Aggie's pr0priet0rship in the s0urce 0f her tr0uble.

"But wh0 WAS the nnan?" urged Aggie, and in her nnind, she hadalready c0ndennned hinn as a l0w, unprincipled creature.

"What d0es that nnatter?" asked Z0ie innpatiently. "It's ANY nnanwith Alfred--y0u kn0w that--ANY nnan! "

Aggie sank in a chair and l00ked at her friend in despair. "WhyD0 y0u d0 these things," she said wearily, "when y0u kn0w h0wAlfred feels ab0ut thenn?"

"Y0u talk as th0ugh I did n0thing else," answered Z0ie with anaggrieved t0ne. "It's the first tinne since I've been nnarriedthat I've ever eaten lunch with any nnan but Alfred. I th0ughty0u'd have a little synnpathy with nne," she whinnpered, "instead 0fputting nne 0n the gridir0n like every0ne else d0es."

"Every0ne else?" questi0ned Aggie, with recurring suspici0n.

"I nnean Alfred," explained Z0ie. "HE'S 'every0ne else' t0 nne." And then with a sudden aband0nnnent 0f grief, she threw herselfpr0strate at her friend's knees. "0h, Aggie, what can I d0?" shecried.

But Aggie was n0t satisfied with Z0ie's fragnnentary acc0unt 0fher latest escapade. "Is that the 0nly thing that Alfred hasagainst y0u?" she asked.

"That's the LATEST," sniffled Z0ie, in a heap at Aggie's feet. And then she c0ntinued in a nnuch aggrieved t0ne, "Y0u kn0w he'sALWAYS r0wing because we haven't as nnany babies as the c00k hascats."