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diff --git a/43916-0.txt b/43916-0.txt index 4acb23d..91b358d 100644 --- a/43916-0.txt +++ b/43916-0.txt @@ -1,30 +1,4 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. Isham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Nothing But the Truth - -Author: Frederic S. Isham - -Release Date: October 9, 2013 [EBook #43916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - +*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43916 *** NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH @@ -9159,357 +9133,4 @@ gaily, as they turned into the Great White Way. End of Project Gutenberg's Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Nothing But the Truth - -Author: Frederic S. Isham - -Release Date: October 9, 2013 [EBook #43916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ISO-8859-1 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - - By - - FREDERIC S. ISHAM - - Author of - The Strollers, Under the Rose, - The Social Buccaneer, Etc. - - INDIANAPOLIS - THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - - Copyright 1914 - The Bobbs-Merrill Company - - PRESS OF - BRAUNWORTH & CO. - BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS - BROOKLYN, N. Y. - - - - - Table of Contents - - THE TEMERITY OF BOB - A TRY-OUT - AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING - A CHAT ON THE LINKS - TRIVIALITIES - DINNER - VARYING VICISSITUDES - NEW COMPLICATIONS - ANOTHER SURPRISE - INTO BONDAGE - FISHING - JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER - AN ENFORCED REST CURE - MUTINY - AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW - PLAYING WITH BOB - A GOOD DEAL OF GEE-GEE - A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY - BOB FORGETS HIMSELF - HAND-READING - HEART OF STONE - A REAL BENEFACTOR - MAKING GOOD - AT THE PORTALS - - - - - NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - - - - - CHAPTER I--THE TEMERITY OF BOB - - -"It can't be done." - -"Of course, it can." - -"A man couldn't survive the ordeal." - -"Could do it myself." - -The scene was the University Club. The talk spread over a good deal of -space, as talk will when pink cocktails, or "green gardens in a glass" -confront, or are in front of, the talkees. Dickie said it couldn't be -done and Bob said it was possible and that he could do it. He might not -have felt such confidence had it not been for the verdant stimulation. -He could have done anything just then, so why not this particular feat -or stunt? And who was this temerarious one and what was he like? - -As an excellent specimen of a masculine young animal, genus homo, Bob -Bennett was good to look on. Some of those young ladies who wave banners -when young men strain their backs and their arms and their legs in the -cause of learning, had, in the days of the not remote past, dubbed him, -sub rosa, the "blue-eyed Apollo." Some of the fellows not so -euphemistically inclined had, however, during that same glorious period -found frequent occasion to refer to him less classically, if more -truthfully, as "that darn fool, Bob Bennett." That was on account of a -streak of wildness in him, for he was a free bold creature, was Bob. -Conventional bars and gates chafed him. He may have looked like a -"blue-eyed Apollo," but his spirit had the wings of a wild goose, than -which there are no faster birds--for a wild goose is the biplane of the -empyrean. - -Now that Bob had ceased the chase for learning and was out in the wide -world, he should have acquired an additional sobriquet--that of -"Impecunious Bob." It would have fitted his pecuniary condition very -nicely. Once he had had great expectations, but alas!--dad had just -"come a cropper." They had sheared him on the street. The world in -general didn't know about it yet, but Bob did. - -"We're broke, Bob," said dad that very morning. - -"That's all right, Gov.," said Bob. "Can you get up?" - -"I can't even procure a pair of crutches to hobble with," answered dad. - -"Never mind," observed Bob magnanimously. "You've done pretty well by me -up to date. Don't you worry or reproach yourself. I'm not going to heap -abuse on those gray hairs." - -"Thanks, Bob." Coolly. "_I'm_ not worrying. You see, it's up to you -now." - -"Me?" Bob stared. - -"Yes. You see I believe in the Japanese method." - -"What's that?" Uneasily. - -"Duty of a child to support his parent, when said child is grown up!" - -Bob whistled. "Say, Gov., do you mean it?" - -"Gospel truth, Bob." - -Bob whistled again. "Not joking?" - -"'Pon honor!" Cheerfully. - -"I never did like the Japanese," from Bob, sotto voce. "Blame lot of -heathens--that's what they are!" - -"I've got a dollar or two that I owe tucked away where no one can find -it except me," went on dad, unmindful of Bob's little soliloquy. "That -will have to last until you come to the rescue." - -"Gee! I'm glad you were thoughtful enough for that!" ejaculated the -young man. "Sure you can keep it hidden?" - -"Burglars couldn't find it," said dad confidently, "let alone my -creditors--God bless them! But it won't last long, Bob. Bear that in -mind. It'll be a mighty short respite." - -"Oh, I'll not forget it. If--if it's not an impertinence, may I ask what -_you_ are going to do, dad?" - -"I'm contemplating a fishing trip, first of all, and after that--quien -sabe? Some pleasure suitable to my retired condition will undoubtedly -suggest itself. I may take up the study of philosophy. Confucius has -always interested me. They say it takes forty years to read him and then -forty years to digest what you have read. The occupation would, no -doubt, prove adequate. But don't concern yourself about that, dear boy. -I'll get on. You owe me a large debt of gratitude. I'm thrusting a great -responsibility on you. It should be the making of you." Bob had his -secret doubts. "Get out and hustle, dear boy. It's up to you, now!" And -he spread out his hands in care-free fashion and smiled blandly. No -Buddha could have appeared more complacent--only instead of a lotus -flower, Bob's dad held in his hand a long black weed, the puffing of -which seemed to afford a large measure of ecstatic satisfaction. "Go!" -He waved the free hand. "My blessing on your efforts." - -Bob started to go, and then he lingered. "Perhaps," he said, "you can -tell me _what_ I am going to do?" - -"Don't know." Cheerfully. - -"What _can_ I do?" Hopelessly. - -"Couldn't say." - -"I don't know _anything_." - -"Ha! ha!" Dad laughed, as if son had sprung a joke. "Well, that is a -condition experience will remove. Experience _and_ hard knocks," he -added. - -Bob swore softly. His head was humming. No heroic purpose to get out and -fight his way moved him. He didn't care about shoveling earth, or -chopping down trees. He had no frenzied desire to brave the -sixty-below-zero temperature of the Klondike in a mad search for gold. -In a word, he didn't feel at all like the heroes in the books who -conquer under almost impossible conditions in the vastnesses of the -"open," and incidentally whallop a few herculean simple-minded sons of -nature, just to prove that breed is better than brawn. - -"Of course, I could give you a little advice, Bob," said the governor -softly. "If you should find hustling a bit arduous for one of your -luxurious nature, there's an alternative. It is always open to a young -man upon whom nature has showered her favors." - -"Don't know what you mean by that last," growled Bob, who disliked -personalities. "But what is the alternative to hustling?" - -"Get married," said dad coolly. - -Bob changed color. Dad watched him keenly. - -"There's always the matrimonial market for young men who have not -learned to specialize. I've known many such marriages to turn out -happily, too. Marrying right, my boy, is a practical, not a sentimental -business." - -Bob looked disgusted. - -"There's Miss Gwendoline Gerald, for example. Millions in her own name, -and--" - -"Hold on, dad!" cried Bob. His face was flaming now. The blue eyes -gleamed almost fiercely. - -"I knew you were acquainted," observed dad softly, still studying him. -"Besides she's a beautiful girl and--" - -"Drop it, dad!" burst from Bob. "We've never had a quarrel, but--" -Suddenly he realized his attitude was actually menacing. And toward -dad--his own dad! "I beg your pardon, sir," he muttered contritely. "I'm -afraid I am forgetting myself. But please turn the talk." - -"All right," said dad. "I forgive you. I was only trying to elucidate -your position. But since it's not to be the matrimonial market, it'll -have to be a hustle, my boy. I'm too old to make another fortune. I've -done my bit and now I'm going to retire on my son. Sounds fair and -equitable, doesn't it, Bob?" - -"I'd hate to contradict you, sir," the other answered moodily. - -Dad walked up to him and laid an arm affectionately upon son's broad -shoulders. "I've the utmost confidence in you, my boy," he said, with a -bland smile. - -"Thank you, sir," replied Bob. He always preserved an attitude of filial -respect toward his one and only parent. But he tore himself away from -dad now as soon as he could. He wanted to think. The average hero, -thrust out into the world, has only a single load to carry. He has only -to earn a living for himself. Bob's load was a double one and therefore -he would have to be a double hero. Mechanically he walked on and on, -cogitating upon his unenviable fate. Suddenly he stopped. He found -himself in front of the club. Bob went in. And there he met Dickie, -Clarence, Dan the doughty "commodore" and some others. - - * * * * * - -That Impecunious Bob should have said "It could be done" to Imperial -Dickie's "It couldn't" and have allowed himself to be drawn further into -the affair was, in itself, an impertinence. For Dickie was a person of -importance. He had a string of simoleons so long that a -newspaper-mathematician once computed if you spread them out, touching -one another, they would reach half around the world. Or was it twice -around? Anyhow, Dickie didn't have to worry about hustling, the way Bob -did now. At the moment the latter was in a mood to contradict any one. -He felt reckless. He was ready for almost anything--short of an -imitation of that back-to-nature hero of a popular novel. - -They had been going on about that "could" and "couldn't" proposition for -some time when some one staked Bob. That some one was promptly "called" -by the "commodore"--as jolly a sea-dog as never trod a deck. Dan was a -land-commodore, but he was very popular at the Yacht Club, where -something besides waves seethed when he was around. He didn't go often -to the University Club where he complained things were too pedagogic. -(No one else ever complained of that.) He liked to see the decks--or -floors--wave. Then he was in his element and would issue orders with the -blithe abandon of a son of Neptune. There was no delay in "clapping on -sail" when the commodore was at the helm. And if he said: "Clear the -decks for action," there was action. When he did occasionally drift into -the University, he brought with him the flavor of the sea. Things at -once breezed up. - -Well, the commodore called that some one quick. - -"Five thousand he can't do it." - -"For how long?" says Dickie. - -"A week," answered the commodore. - -"Make it two." - -"Oh, very well." - -"Three, if you like!" from Bob, the stormy petrel. - -They gazed at him admiringly. - -"It isn't the green garden talking, is it, Bob?" asked Clarence Van -Duzen whose sole occupation was being a director in a few -corporations--or, more strictly speaking, _not_ being one. It took -almost all Clarence's time to "direct" his wife, or try to. - -Bob looked at Clarence reproachfully. "No," he said. "I'm still master -of all my thoughts." Gloomily. "I couldn't forget if I tried." - -"That's all right, then," said Dickie. - -Then Clarence "took" some one else who staked Bob. And Dickie did -likewise. And there was some more talk. And then Bob staked himself. - -"Little short of cash at the bank just now," he observed. "But if you'll -take my note--" - -"Take your word if you want," said the commodore. - -"No; here's my note." He gave it--a large amount--payable in thirty -days. It was awful, but he did it. He hardly thought what he was doing. -Having the utmost confidence he would win, he didn't stop to realize -what a large contract he was taking on. But Dan, Dickie, Clarence and -the others did. - -"Of course, you can't go away and hide," said Dickie to Bob with sudden -suspicion. - -"No; you can't do that," from Clarence. "Or get yourself arrested and -locked up for three weeks! That wouldn't be fair, old chap." - -"Bob understands he's got to go on in the even tenor of his way," said -the commodore. - -Bob nodded. "Just as if nothing had happened!" he observed. "I'll not -seek, or I'll not shirk. I'm on honor, you understand." - -"That's good enough for me!" said Dickie. "Bob's honest." - -"And me!" from Clarence. - -"And me!" from half a dozen other good souls, including the non-aqueous -commodore. - -"Gentlemen, I thank you," said Bob, affected by this outburst of -confidence. "I thank you for this display of--this display--" - -"Cut it!" - -"Cork it up! And speaking of corks--" - -"When does it begin?" interrupted Bob. - -"When you walk out of here," - -"At the front door?" - -"When your foot touches the sidewalk, son." The commodore who was about -forty in years sometimes assumed the paternal. - -"Never mind the 'son.'" Bob shuddered. "One father at a time, please!" -And then hastily, not to seem ungracious: "I've got such a jolly good, -real dad, you understand--" - -The commodore dropped the paternal. "Well, lads, here's a bumper to -Bob," he said. - -"We see his finish." - -"No doubt of that." - -"To Bob! Good old Bob! Ho! ho!" - -"Ha! ha!" said Bob funereally. - -Then he got up. - -"Going?" - -"Might as well." - -The commodore drew out a watch. - -"Twelve minutes after three p.m. Monday, the twelfth of September, in -the year of our Lord, 1813," he said. "You are all witnesses of the time -the ball was opened?" - -"We are." - -"Good-by, Bob." - -"Oh, let's go with him a way!" - -"_Might_ be interesting," from Clarence sardonically. - -"It might. Least we can do is to see him start on his way rejoicing." - -"That's so. Come on." Which they did. - -Bob offered no objection. He didn't much care at the time whether they -did or not. What would happen would. He braced himself for the -inevitable. - - - - - CHAPTER II--A TRY-OUT - - -To tell the truth--to blurt out nothing but the truth to every one, and -on every occasion, for three whole weeks--that's what Bob had contracted -to do. From the point of view of the commodore and the others, the man -who tried to fill this contract would certainly be shot, or -electrocuted, or ridden out of town on a rail, or receive a coat of tar -and feathers. And Bob had such a wide circle of friends, too, which -would make his task the harder; the handsome dog was popular. He was -asked everywhere that was anywhere and he went, too. He would certainly -"get his." The jovial commodore was delighted. He would have a whole lot -of fun at Bob's expense. Wasn't the latter the big boob, though? And -wouldn't he be put through his paces? Really it promised to be -delicious. The commodore and the others went along with Bob just for a -little try-out. - -At first nothing especially interesting happened. They walked without -meeting any one they were acquainted with. Transients! transients! where -did they all come from? Once on their progress down the avenue the hopes -of Bob's friends rose high. A car they knew got held up on a side street -not far away from them. It was a gorgeous car and it had a gorgeous -occupant, but a grocery wagon was between them and it. The commodore -warbled blithely. - -"Come on, Bob. Time for a word or two!" - -But handsome Bob shook his head. "The 'even tenor of his way,'" he -quoted. "I don't ordinarily go popping in and out between wheels like a -rabbit. I'm not looking to commit suicide." - -"Oh, I only wanted to say: 'How do you do,'" retorted the commodore -rather sulkily. "Or 'May I tango with you at tea this afternoon, Mrs. -Ralston?'" - -"Or observe: 'How young she looks to-day, eh, Bob?'" murmured that young -gentleman suspiciously. - -"Artful! Artful!" Clarence poked the commodore in the ribs. "Sly old -sea-dog!" - -"Well, let's move on," yawned Dickie. "Nothing doing here." - -"Wait!" The commodore had an idea. "Hi, you young grocery lad, back up a -little, will you?" - -"Wha' for?" said the boy, aggressive at once. Babes are born in New York -with chips on their shoulders. - -"As a matter of trifling accommodation, that is all," answered the -commodore sweetly. "On the other side of you is a stately car and we -would hold conversation with--" - -"Aw, gwan! Guess I got as much right to the street as it has." And as a -display of his "rights," he even touched up his horse a few inches, to -intervene more thoroughly. - -"Perhaps now for half a dollar--" began the commodore, more -insinuatingly. Then he groaned: "Too late!" The policeman had lifted the -ban. The stately car turned into the avenue and was swallowed up amid a -myriad of more or less imposing vehicles. They had, however, received a -bow from the occupant. That was all there had been opportunity for. -Incidentally, the small boy had bestowed upon them his parting -compliments: - -"Smart old guy! You think youse--" The rest was jumbled up or lost in -the usual cacophony of the thoroughfare. - -"Too bad!" murmured the commodore. "But still these three weeks are -young." - -"'Three weeks!'" observed Dickie. "Sounds like plagiarism!" - -"Oh, Bob won't have that kind of a 'three weeks,'" snickered Clarence. - -"Bob's will be an expurgated edition," from the commodore, recovering -his spirits. - -"Maybe we ought to make it four?" - -"Three will do," said Bob, who wasn't enjoying this chaffing. Every one -they approached he now eyed apprehensively. - -But he was a joy-giver, if not receiver, for his tall handsome figure -attracted many admiring glances. His striking head with its blond -curls--they weren't exactly curls, only his hair wasn't straight, but -clung rather wavy-like to the bold contour of his head--his careless -stride, and that general effect of young masculinity--all this caused -sundry humble feminine hearts to go pit-a-pat. Bob's progress, however, -was generally followed by pit-a-pats from shop-girls and bonnet-bearers. -Especially at the noon hour! Then Bob seemed to these humble toilers, -like dessert, after hard-boiled eggs, stale sandwiches and pickles. - -But Bob was quite unaware of any approving glances cast after him. He -was thinking, and thinking hard. He wasn't so sanguine now as he had -been when he had left the club. What might have happened at that street -corner appealed to him with sudden poignant force. Mrs. Ralston was of -the _creme de la creme_. She was determined to stay young. She pretended -to be thirty years or so younger than she was. In fact, she was rather a -ridiculous old lady who found it hard to conceal her age. Now what if -the commodore had found opportunity to ask that awful question? Bob -could have made only one reply and told the truth. The largeness of his -contract was becoming more apparent to him. He began to see himself now -from Dan's standpoint. Incidentally, he was beginning to develop a great -dislike for that genial land-mariner. - -"How about the Waldorf?" They had paused at the corner of Thirty-fourth -Street. "May find some one there," suggested Clarence. - -"In Peek-a-Boo Alley?" scornfully from Dickie. - -"Oh, I heard there was a concert, or something upstairs," said Clarence. -"In that you've-got-to-be-introduced room! And some of the real people -have to walk through to get to it." - -Accordingly they entered the Waldorf and the commodore hustled them up -and down and around, without, however, their encountering a single -"real" person. There were only people present--loads of them, not from -somewhere but from everywhere. They did the circuit several times, still -without catching sight of a real person. - -"Whew! This _is_ a lonesome place!" breathed the commodore at last. - -"Let's depart!" disgustedly from Clarence. "Apologize for steering you -into these barren wastes!" - -"What's your hurry?" said Bob, with a little more bravado. Then suddenly -he forgot about those other three. His entranced gaze became focused on -one. He saw only her. - -"Ha!" The commodore's quick glance, following Bob's, caught sight, too, -of that wonderful face in the distance--the stunning, glowing young -figure--that regal dream of just-budded girlhood--that superb vision in -a lovely afternoon gown! She was followed by one or two others. One -could only imagine her leading. There would, of course, always be -several at her either side and quite a number dangling behind. Her lips -were like the red rosebuds that swung negligently from her hand as she -floated through the crowd. Her eyes suggested veiled dreams amid the -confusion and hubbub of a topsyturvy world. She was like something -rhythmical precipitated amid chaos. A far-away impression of a smile -played around the corners of her proud lips. - -The commodore precipitated himself in her direction. Bob put out a hand -as if to grasp him by the coat tails, but the other was already beyond -reach and Bob's hand fell to his side. He stood passive. That was his -part. Only he wasn't passive inwardly. His heart was beating wildly. He -could imagine himself with her and them--those others in her train--and -the conversation that would ensue, for he had no doubt of the -commodore's intentions. Dan was an adept at rounding up people. Bob -could see himself at a table participating in the conversation--prepared -conversation, some of it! He could imagine the commodore leading little -rivulets of talk into certain channels for his benefit. Dan would see to -it that they would ask him (Bob) questions, embarrassing ones. That -"advice" dad had given him weighed on Bob like a nightmare. -Suppose--ghastly thought!--truth compelled him ever to speak of that? -And to her! A shiver ran down Bob's backbone. Nearer she -drew--nearer--while Bob gazed as if fascinated, full of rapturous, -paradoxical dread. Now the commodore was almost upon her when-- - -Ah, what was that? An open elevator?--people going in?--She, too,--those -with her--Yes--click! a closed door! The radiant vision had vanished, -was going upward; Bob breathed again. Think of being even paradoxically -glad at witnessing _her_ disappear! Bob ceased now to think; stood as in -a trance. - -"Why _do_ people go to concerts?" said the commodore in aggrieved tones. -"Some queen, that!" - -"And got the rocks--or stocks!" from Dickie. "Owns about three of those -railroads that are going a-begging nowadays." - -"Wake up, Bobbie!" some one now addressed that abstracted individual. - -Bob shook himself. - -"Old friend of yours, Miss Gwendoline Gerald, I believe?" said the -commodore significantly. - -"Yes; I've known Miss Gerald for some time," said Bob coldly. - -"'Known for some time'--" mimicked the commodore. "Phlegmatic dog! Well, -what shall we do now?" - -"Hang around until the concert's over?" suggested Dickie. - -"Hang around nothing!" said the commodore. "It's one of those classical -high-jinks." Disgustedly. "Lasts so late the sufferers haven't time for -anything after it's over. Just enough energy left to stagger to their -cars and fall over in a comatose condition." - -"Suppose we _could_ go to the bar?" - -"Naughty! Naughty!" A sprightly voice interrupted. - -The commodore wheeled. "Mrs. Ralston!" he exclaimed gladly. - -It was the gorgeous lady of the gorgeous car. - -"Just finished my shopping and thought I'd have a look in here," she -said vivaciously. - -"Concert, I suppose?" from the commodore, jubilantly. - -"Yes. Dubussy. Don't you adore Dubussy?" with schoolgirlish enthusiasm. -Though almost sixty, she had the manners of a "just-come-out." - -"Nothing like it," lied the commodore. - -"Ah, then you, too, are a modern?" gushed the lady. - -"I'm so advanced," said the commodore, "I can't keep up with myself." - -They laughed. "Ah, silly man!" said the lady's eyes. Bob gazed at her -and the commodore enviously. Oh, to be able once more to prevaricate -like that! The commodore had never heard Dubussy in his life. Ragtime -and merry hornpipes were his limits. And Mrs. Ralston was going to the -concert, it is true, but to hear the music? Ah, no! Her box was a -fashionable rendezvous, and from it she could study modernity in hats. -Therein, at least, she was a modern of the moderns. She was so advanced, -the styles had fairly to trot, or turkey-trot, to keep up with her. - -"Well," she said, with that approving glance women usually bestowed upon -Bob, "I suppose I mustn't detain you busy people after that remark I -overheard." - -"Oh, don't hurry," said the commodore hastily. "Between old friends-- -But I say-- By jove, you _are_ looking well. Never saw you looking so -young and charming. Never!" It was rather crudely done, but the -commodore could say things more bluntly than other people and "get away -with them." He was rather a privileged character. Bob began to breathe -hard, having a foretaste of what was to follow. And Mrs. "Willie" -Ralston was Miss Gwendoline Gerald's aunt! No doubt that young lady was -up in her aunt's box at this moment. - -"Never!" repeated the commodore. "Eh, Bob? Doesn't look a day over -thirty," with a jovial, freehearted sailor laugh. "Does she now?" - -It had come. That first test! And the question had to be answered. The -lady was looking at Bob. They were all waiting. A fraction of a second, -or so, which seemed like a geological epoch, Bob hesitated. He had to -reply and yet being a gentleman, how could he? No matter what it cost -him, he would simply have to "lie like a gentleman." He-- - -Suddenly an idea shot through his befuddled brain. Maybe Mrs. Ralston -wouldn't know what he said, if he--? She had been numerous times to -France, of course, but she was not mentally a heavy-weight. Languages -might not be her forte. Presumably she had all she could do to chatter -in English. Bob didn't know much French himself. He would take a chance -on her, however. He made a bow which was Chesterfieldian and -incidentally made answer, rattling it off with the swiftness of a -boulevardier. - -"_Il me faut dire que, vraiment, Madame Ralston parait aussi agee -qu'elle l'est!_" ("I am obliged to say that Mrs. Ralston appears as old -as she is!") - -Then he straightened as if he had just delivered a stunning compliment. - -"_Merci!_" The lady smiled. She also beamed. "How well you speak French, -Mr. Bennett!" - -The commodore nearly exploded. _He_ understood French. - -Bob expanded, beginning to breathe freely once more. "Language of -courtiers and diplomats!" he mumbled. - -Mrs. Ralston shook an admonishing finger at him. "Flatterer!" she said, -and departed. - -Whereupon the commodore leaned weakly against Dickie while Clarence sank -into a chair. First round for Bob! - - * * * * * - -The commodore was the first to recover. His voice was reproachful. "Was -_that_ quite fair?--that parleyvoo business? I don't know about it's -being allowed." - -"Why not?" calmly from Bob. "Is truth confined to one tongue?" - -"But what about that 'even tenor of your way'?" fenced the commodore. -"You don't, as a usual thing, go around parleyvooing--" - -"What about the even tenor of your own ways?" retorted Bob. - -"Nothing said about _that_ when we--" - -"No, but--how can _I_ go the even tenor, if _you_ don't go yours?" - -"Hum?" said the commodore. - -"Don't you see it's not the even tenor?" persisted Bob. "But it's your -fault if it isn't." - -"Some logic in that," observed Clarence. - -"Maybe, we _have_ been a bit too previous," conceded the commodore. - -"That isn't precisely the adjective I would use," returned Bob. He found -himself thinking more clearly now. They had all, perhaps, been stepping -rather lightly when they had left the club. He should have thought of -this before. But Bob's brain moved rather slowly sometimes and the -others had been too bent on having a good time to consider all the -ethics of the case. They showed themselves fair-minded enough now, -however. - -"Bob's right," said the commodore sorrowfully. "Suppose we've got to -eliminate ourselves from his agreeable company for the next three weeks, -unless we just naturally happen to meet. We'll miss a lot of fun, but I -guess it's just got to be. What about that parleyvooing business though, -Bob?" - -"That's got to be eliminated, too!" from Dickie. "Why, he might tell the -truth in Chinese." - -"All right, fellows," said Bob shortly. "You quit tagging and I'll talk -United States." - -"Good. I'm off," said the commodore. And he went. The others followed. -Bob was left alone. He found the solitude blessed and began to have -hopes once more. Why, he might even be permitted to enjoy a real lonely -three weeks, now that he had got rid of that trio. He drew out a cigar -and began to tell himself he _was_ enjoying himself when-- - -"Mr. Robert Bennett!" The voice of a page smote the air. It broke into -his reflections like a shock. - -"Mr. Bennett!" again bawled the voice. - -For the moment Bob was tempted to let him slip by, but conscience -wouldn't let him. He lifted a finger. - -"Message for Mr. Bennett," said the urchin. - -Bob took it. He experienced forebodings as he saw the dainty card and -inscription. He read it. Then he groaned. Would Mr. Robert Bennett join -Mrs. Ralston's house-party at Tonkton? There were a few more words in -that impulsive lady's characteristic, vivacious style. And then there -were two words in another handwriting that he knew. "Will you?" That -"Will you?" wasn't signed. Bob stared at it. Would he? He had to. He was -in honor bound, because ordinarily he would have accepted with alacrity. -But a house-party for him, under present circumstances! He would be a -merry guest. Ye gods and little fishes! And then some! He gave a hollow -laugh, while the urchin gazed at him sympathetically. Evidently the -gentleman had received bad news. - - - - - CHAPTER III--AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING - - -Mrs. Ralston's house-parties were usually satisfactory affairs. She was -fond of people, especially young people, and more especially of young -men of the Apollo variety, though in a strictly proper, platonic and -critical sense. Indeed, her taste in the abstract, for animated -Praxiteles had, for well-nigh two-score of years, been unimpeachable. At -the big gatherings in her noble country mansion, there was always a -liberal sprinkling of decorative and animated objects of art of this -description. She liked to ornament her porches or her gardens with husky -and handsome young college athletes. She had an intuitive artistic taste -for stunning living-statuary, "dressed up," of course. Bob came -distinctly in that category. So behold him then, one fine morning, on -the little sawed-off train that whisked common people--and sometimes a -few notables when their cars were otherwise engaged--countryward. Bob -had a big grip by his side, his golf sticks were in a rack and he had a -newspaper in his hand. The sunshine came in on him but his mood was not -sunny. An interview with dad just before leaving hadn't improved his -spirits. He had found dad at the breakfast table examining a book of -artificial flies, on one hand, and a big reel on the other. - -"Which shall it be, my son?" dad had greeted him cordially. "Trout or -tarpon?" - -"I guess that's for you to decide," Robert had answered grumpily. Dad, -in his new role, was beginning to get on Bob's nerves. Dad didn't seem -to be at all concerned about his future. He shifted that weighty and -momentous subject just as lightly! He acted as if he hadn't a care in -the world. - -"Wish I _could_ make up my mind," he said, like a boy in some doubt how -he can best put in his time when he plays hooky. "Minnows or whales? -I'll toss up." He did. "Whales win. By the way, how's the hustling -coming on?" - -"Don't know." - -"Well, don't put it off too long." Cheerfully. "I guess I can worry -along for about three weeks." - -"Three weeks!" said Bob gloomily. Oh, that familiar sound! - -"You wouldn't have me stint myself, would you, my son?" Half -reproachfully. "You wouldn't have dad deny himself anything?" - -"No," answered the other truthfully enough. As a matter of fact things -couldn't be much worse, so he didn't much care. Fortunately, dad didn't -ask any questions or show any curiosity about that "hustling" business. -He seemed to take it for granted Bob would arise to the occasion and be -as indulgent a son as he had been an indulgent dad--for he had never -denied the boy anything. Bob softened when he thought of that. But -confound dad's childlike faith in him, at this period of emergency. It -made Bob nervous. He had no faith in himself that way. Dad _did_ lift -his eyebrows just a little when Bob brought down his big grip. - -"Week-end?" he hazarded. - -"Whole week," replied Bob in a melancholy tone. - -"Whither?" - -"Tonkton." - -Dad beamed. "Mrs. Ralston?" - -"Yes." - -"Aunt of Miss Gwendoline Gerald, I believe?" With a quick penetrating -glance at Bob. - -"Yes." - -"Sensible boy," observed dad, still studying him. - -"Oh, I'm not going for the reason you think," said Bob quite savagely. -He was most unlike himself. - -"Of course not." Dad was conciliatory. - -"I'm not. Think what you like." - -"Too much work to think," yawned dad. - -"But you _are_ thinking." Resentfully. - -"Have it your own way." - -Bob squared his shoulders. "You want to know really why I'm going to -Tonkton?" - -"Have I ever tried to force your confidences, my son?" - -"I'm going because I've got to. I can't help myself." - -"Of course," said dad. "Ta! ta! Enjoy yourself. See you in three weeks." - -"Three--!" But Bob didn't finish. What was the use? Dad thought he was -going to Tonkton because Miss Gerald might be there. - -As a matter of fact Bob's one great wish now was that she wouldn't be -there. He wanted, and yet didn't want, to see her. What had he to hope -now? Why, he didn't have a son, or not enough of them to count. He was -to all practical intents and purposes a pauper. Dad's "going broke" had -changed his whole life. He had been reared in the lap of luxury, a -pampered son. He had never dreamed of being otherwise. And considering -himself a favored child of fortune, he had even dared entertain the -delirious hope of winning her--her, the goddess of his dreams. - -But hope now was gone. Regrets were useless. He could no longer conceive -himself in the role of suitor. Why, there were few girls in the whole -land so overburdened with "rocks"--as Dickie called them! If only she -didn't have those rocks--or stocks! "Impecunious Gwendoline!" How well -that would go with "Impecunious Bob!" If only her trustees would hit the -toboggan, the way dad did! But trustees don't go tobogganing. They -eschew the smooth and slippery. They speculate in government bonds and -things that fluctuate about a point or so a century. No chance for quick -action there! On the contrary, the trustees were probably making those -millions grow. Bob heaved a sigh. Then he took something white from his -pocket and gazed at two words, ardently yet dubiously. - -That "Will you?" of hers on Mrs. Ralston's card exhilarated and at the -same time depressed him. It implied she, herself, did expect to be at -her aunt's country place. He attached no other especial importance to -the "Will you?" An imperious young person in her exalted position could -command as she pleased. She could say "Will you?" or "You will" to -dozens of more or less callow youths, or young grown-ups, with impunity, -and none of said dozens would attach any undue flattering meaning to her -words. Miss Gerald found safety in numbers. She was as yet heart-free. - -"Can you--aw!--tell me how far it is to Tonkton?" a voice behind here -interrupted his ruminations. - -Bob hastily returned the card to his pocket, and glancing back, saw a -monocle. "Matter of ten miles or so," he responded curtly. He didn't -like monocles. - -"Aw!" said the man. - -Bob picked up his newspaper that he had laid down, and frowningly began -to glance over the head-lines. The man behind him glanced over them, -too. - -"Another society robbery, I see," the latter remarked. "No function -complete without them nowadays, I understand. Wonderful country, -America! Guests here always expect--aw!--to be robbed, I've been told." - -"Have the paper," said Bob with cutting accents. - -"Thanks awfully." The man with the monocle took the paper as a matter of -course, seeming totally unaware of the sarcasm in Bob's tone. At first, -Bob felt like kicking himself; the rustle of the paper in those alien -hands caused him to shuffle his feet with mild irritation. Then he -forgot all about the paper and the monocle man. His thoughts began once -more to go over and over the same old ground, until-- - -"T'nk'n!" The stentorian abbreviation of the conductor made Bob get up -with a start. Grabbing his grip--hardly any weight at all for his -muscular arm--in one hand, and his implements of the game in the other, -he swung down the aisle and on to the platform. A good many people got -off, for a small town nestled beneath the high rolling lands of the -country estates of the affluent. There were vehicles of all kinds at the -station, among them a number of cars, and in one of the latter Bob -recognized Mrs. Ralston's chauffeur. - -A moment he hesitated. He supposed he ought to step forward and get in, -for that was what he naturally would do. But he wanted to think; he -didn't want to get to the house in a hurry. Still he had to do what he -naturally would do and he started to do it when some other people Bob -didn't know--prospective guests, presumably, among them the man with the -monocle--got into the car and fairly filled it. That let Bob out nicely -and naturally. It gave him another breathing spell. He had got so he was -looking forward to these little breathing spells. - -"Hack, sir?" said a voice. - -"Not for me," replied Bob. "But you can tote this up the hill," -indicating the grip. "Ralston house." - -"Dollar and a half, sir," said the man. "Same price if you go along, -too." - -"What?" It just occurred to Bob he hadn't many dollars left, and of -course, tips would be expected up there, at the big house. It behooved -him, therefore, to be frugal. But to argue about a dollar and a -half!--he, a guest at the several million dollar house! On the other -hand, that dollar looked large to Bob at this moment. Imagine if he had -to earn a dollar and a half! He couldn't at the moment tell how he would -do it. - -"Hold on." Bob took the grip away from the man. "Why, it's outrageous, -such a tariff! Same price, with or without me, indeed! I tell you--" -Suddenly he stopped. He had an awful realization that he was acting a -part. That forced indignation of his was not the truth; that aloof kind -of an attitude wasn't the truth, either. - -"To tell you the truth," said Bob, "I can't afford it." - -"Can't afford. Ha! ha!" That was a joke. One of Mrs. Ralston's guests, -not afford--! - -"No," said Bob. "I've only got about fifteen dollars and a half to my -name. I guess you're worth more than that yourself, aren't you?" With -sudden respect in his tone. - -"I guess I am," said the man, grinning. - -"Then, logically, I should be carrying your valise," retorted Bob. - -"Ha! ha! That's good." The fellow had been transporting the overflow of -Mrs. Ralston's guests for years, but he had never met quite such an -eccentric one as this. He chuckled now as if it were the best joke. -"I'll tell you what--I'll take it for nothing, and leave it to you what -you give me!" Maybe, for a joke, he'd get a fifty--dollars, not cents. -These young millionaire men did perpetrate little funnyisms like that. -Why, one of them had once "beat him down" a quarter on his fare and then -given him ten dollars for a tip. "Ha! ha!" repeated the fellow, -surveying Bob's elegant and faultless attire, "I'll do it for nothing, -and you--" - -Bob walked away carrying his grip. Here he was telling the truth and he -wasn't believed. The man took him for one of those irresponsible merry -fellows. That was odd. Was it auspicious? Should he derive encouragement -therefrom? Maybe the others would only say "Ha! ha!" when he told the -truth. But though he tried to feel the fellow's attitude was a good -omen, he didn't succeed very well. - -No use trying to deceive _himself_! Might as well get accustomed to that -truth-telling habit even in his own thoughts! That diabolical trio of -friends had seen plainer than he. _They_ had realized the dazzling -difficulties of the task confronting him. How they were laughing in -their sleeves now at "darn fool Bob!" Bob, a young Don Quixote, sallying -forth to attempt the impossible! The preposterous part of the whole -business was that his role _was_ preposterous. Why, he really and truly, -in his transformed condition, ought to be just like every one else. That -he was a unique exception--a figure alone in his glory, or ingloriously -alone--was a fine commentary on this old world, anyhow. - -What an old humbug of a world it was, he thought, when, passing before -the one and only book-store the little village boasted of, he ran plump -into, or almost into, Miss Gwendoline Gerald. - -She, at that moment, had just emerged from the shop with a supply of -popular magazines in her arms. A gracious expression immediately -softened the young lady's lovely patrician features and she extended a -hand. As in a dream Bob looked at it, for the fraction of a second. It -was a beautiful, shapely and capable hand. It was also sunburned. It -looked like the hand of a young woman who would grasp what she wanted -and wave aside peremptorily what she didn't want. It was a strong hand, -but it was also an adorable hand. It went with the proud but lovely -face. It supplemented the steady, direct violet eyes. The pink nails -gleamed like sea-shells. Bob set down the grip and took the hand. His -heart was going fast. - -"Glad to see you," said Miss Gwendoline. - -Bob remained silent. He was glad and he wasn't glad. That is to say, he -was deliriously glad and he knew he ought not to be. He found it -difficult to conceal the effect she had upon him. He dreaded, too, the -outcome of that meeting. So, how should he answer and yet tell the -truth? It was considerable of a "poser," he concluded, as he strove to -collect his perturbed thoughts. - -"Well, why don't you say something?" she asked. - -"Lovely clay," observed Bob. - -The violet eyes drilled into him slightly. Shades of Hebe! but she had a -fine figure! She looked great next to Bob. Maybe she knew it. Perhaps -that was why she was just a shade more friendly and gracious to him than -to some of the others. They two appeared so well together. He certainly -did set her off. - -"Is that all you have to say?" asked Miss Gwendoline after a moment. - -"Let me put those magazines in the trap for you?" said Bob, making a -desperate recovery and indicating the smart rig at the curb as he spoke. - -"Thanks," she answered. "Make yourself useful." And gave them to him. -But there was now a slight reserve on her part. His manner had slightly -puzzled her. There was a constraint, or hold-offishness about him that -seemed to her rather a new symptom in him. What did it mean? Had he -misinterpreted her "Will you?" The violet eyes flashed slightly, then -she laughed. How ridiculous! - -"There! You did it very well," she commended him mockingly. - -"Thanks," said Bob awkwardly, and shifted. It would be better if she let -him go. Those awful things he might say?--that she might make him say? -But she showed no disposition to permit him to depart at once. She -lingered. People didn't usually seek to terminate talks with her. As a -rule they just stuck and stuck around and it was hard to get rid of -them. Did she divine his uneasiness? Bob showed he certainly wasn't -enjoying himself. The violet eyes grew more and more puzzled. - -"What a brilliant conversationalist you are to-day, Mr. Bennett!" she -remarked with a trace of irony in her tones. - -"Yes; I don't feel very strong on the talk to-day," answered Bob -truthfully. - -Miss Gwendoline pondered a moment on this. She had seen young men -embarrassed before--especially when she was alone with them. Sometimes -her decidedly pronounced beauty had a disquieting effect on certain -sensitive young souls. Bob's manner recalled the manner of one or two of -those others just before they indulged, or tried to indulge, in unusual -sentiments, or too close personalities. Miss Gerald's long sweeping -lashes lowered ominously. Then they slowly lifted. She didn't feel -to-day any inordinate endeavor or desire on Bob's part to break down the -nice barriers of convention and to establish that more intimate and -magnetic atmosphere of a new relationship. Well, that was the way it -should be. It must be he was only stupid at the moment. That's why he -acted strange and unlike himself. - -Perhaps he had been up late the night before. Maybe he had a headache. -His handsome face was certainly very sober. There was a silent appeal to -her in that blond head, a little over half-a-head above hers. Miss -Gwendoline's red lips softened. What a great, big, nice-looking boy he -was, after all! She let the lights of her eyes play on him more kindly. -She had always thought Bob a good sort. He was an excellent partner in -tennis and when it came to horses--they had certainly had some great -spurts together. She had tried to follow Bob but it had sometimes been -hard. His "jumps" were famous. What he couldn't put a horse over, no one -else could. For the sake of these and a few kindred recollections, she -softened. - -"I suppose men sometimes do feel that way the next day," she observed -with tentative sympathy. One just had to forgive Bob. She knew a lot of -cleverer men who weren't half so interesting on certain occasions. -Intellectual conversation isn't everything. Even that soul-to-soul talk -of the higher faddists sometimes palled. "I suppose that's why you're -walking." - -"Why?" he repeated, puzzled. - -"To dissipate that 'tired feeling,' I believe you call it?" - -"But I'm not tired," said Bob. - -"Headachey, then?" - -"No." He wasn't quite following the subtleties of her remarks. - -"Then why _are_ you walking?" she persisted. "And with that?" Touching -his grip with the tip of her toe. - -"Save hack fare," answered Bob. - -She smiled. - -"Man wanted a dollar and a half," he went on. - -"And you objected?" Lightly. - -"I did." - -Again she smiled. Bob saw she, too, thought it was a joke. And he -remembered how she knew of one or two occasions when he had just thrown -money to the winds--shoved it out of the window, as it were--orchids, by -the dozens, tips, two or three times too large, etc. Bob, with those -reckless eyes, object to a dollar and a half--or a hundred and fifty, -for that matter? Not he! If ever there had been a spendthrift!-- - -"Well, I'll lend a hand to a poor, poverty-stricken wretch," said Miss -Gerald, indulgently entering into the humor of the situation. - -"What do you mean?" With new misgivings. - -"Put them"--indicating the grip and the sticks--"in the trap," she -commanded. - -Bob did. He couldn't do anything else. And then he assisted her in. - -"Thanks for timely help!" he said more blithely, as he saw her slip on -her gloves and begin to gather up the reins with those firm capable -fingers. "And now--?" He started as if to go. - -"Oh, you can get in, too." Why shouldn't he? There was room for two. She -spoke in a matter-of-fact manner. - -"I--?" Bob hesitated. A long, long drive--unbounded opportunity for -chats, confidences!--and all at the beginning of his sojourn here? Dad's -words--that horrid advice--burned on his brain like fire. He tried to -think of some excuse for not getting in. He might say he had to stop at -a drug store, or call up a man in New York on business by telephone, -or-- But no! he couldn't say any of those things. He was denied the -blissful privilege of other men. - -"Well, why don't you get in?" Miss Gerald spoke more sharply. "Don't you -want to?" - -The words came like a thunder-clap, though Miss Gwendoline's voice was -honey sweet. Bob raised a tragic head. That monster, Truth! - -"No," he said. - -An instant Miss Gwendoline looked at him, the violet eyes incredulous, -amused. Then a slight line appeared on her beautiful forehead and her -red lips parted a little as if she were going to say something, but -didn't. Instead, they closed tight, the way rosebuds shut when the night -is unusually frosty. Her eyes became hard like diamonds. - -"How charmingly frank!" she said. Then she drew up the reins and trailed -the tip of the whip caressingly along the back of her spirited cob. It -sprang forward. "Look out for the sun, Mr. Bennett," she called back as -they dashed away. "It's rather hot to-day." - -Bob stood and stared after her. What did she mean about the sun? Did she -think he had a touch of sunstroke, or brain-fever? It was an -inauspicious beginning, indeed. If he had only known what next was -coming! - - - - - CHAPTER IV--A CHAT ON THE LINKS - - -At the top of the hill, instead of following the winding road, Bob -started leisurely across the rolling green toward the big house whose -roof could be discerned in the distance above the trees. The day was -charming, but he was distinctly out of tune. There was a frown on his -brow. Fate had gone too far. He half-clenched his fists, for he was in a -fighting mood and wanted to retaliate--but how? At the edge of some -bushes he came upon a lady--no less a personage than the better-half of -the commodore, himself. - -She was fair, fat and forty, or a little more. She was fooling with a -white ball, or rather it was fooling with her, for she didn't seem to -like the place where it lay. She surveyed it from this side and then -from that. To the casual observer it looked just the same from whichever -point you viewed it. Once or twice the lady, evidently no expert, raised -her arm and then lowered it. But apparently, at last, she made up her -mind. She was just about to hit the little ball, though whether to top -or slice it will never be known, when Bob stepped up from behind the -bushes. - -"Oh, Mr. Bennett!" He had obviously startled her. - -"The same," said Bob gloomily. - -"That's too bad of you," she chided him, stepping back. - -"What?" - -"Why, I'd just got it all figured out in my mind how to do it." - -"Sorry," said Bob. "I didn't know you were behind the bushes or I -wouldn't have come out on you like that. But maybe you'll do even better -than you were going to. Hope so! Go ahead with your drive. Don't mind -me." His tone was depressed, if not sepulchral. - -But the lady, being at that sociable age, showed now a perverse -disposition not to "go ahead." - -"Just get here?" she asked. - -"Yes. Anything doing?" - -"Not much. It's been, in fact, rather slow. Mrs. Ralston says so -herself. So I am at liberty to make the same remark. Of course we've -done the usual things, but somehow there seems to be something lacking," -rattled on the lady. "Maybe we need a few more convivial souls to stir -things up. Perhaps we're waiting for some one, real good and lively, to -appear upon the scene. Does the description chance to fit you, Mr. -Bennett?" Archly. - -"I think not," said gloomy Bob. - -"Well, that isn't what Mrs. Ralston says about you, anyway," observed -the commodore's spouse. - -"What does she say?" - -"'When Bob Bennett's around, things begin to hum.' So you see you have a -reputation to live up to." - -"I dare say. No doubt I'll live up to it, all right." - -"It's really up to you to stir things up." - -"I've begun." Ominously. - -"Have you? How lovely!" - -This didn't require an answer, for it wasn't really a question. A white -ball went by them, a very pretty snoop, and pretty soon another lady and -a caddy loomed on their range of vision. The lady was thin and -spirituelle and she walked by with a stride. You would have said she had -taken lessons of a man. She looked neither to the right nor the left. At -the moment, she, at any rate, was not sociably inclined. That walk meant -business. She wasn't one of those fussy beginners like the lady Bob was -talking with. - -"Isn't that Mrs. Clarence Van Duzen?" asked Bob. - -"Yes. She, too, poor dear, has had to desert hubby. Exactions of -business! Clarence simply couldn't get away. You see he's director of so -many things. And poor, dear old Dan! So busy! Every day at the office! -So pressed with business." - -"Quite so," said Bob absently. "I mean--" He stopped. He knew Dan wasn't -pressed for business and Bob couldn't utter even the suspicion of an -untruth now. "Didn't exactly mean that!" he mumbled. - -The lady regarded him quickly. His manner was just in the least strange. -But in a moment she thought no more about it. - -"You didn't happen to see Dan?" she asked. - -"Yes." - -"At his office, I suppose?" Dan had written he hadn't even had time for -his club; that it had been just work--work all the time. - -"No." - -"Where, then?" - -"At the club and some other places." Reluctantly. - -"Other places?" Lightly. Of course she hadn't really believed quite all -Dan had written about that office confinement. "How dreadfully -ambiguous!" With a laugh. "What other places?" - -Bob began to get uneasy. "Well, we went to a cabaret or two." No -especial harm about that answer. - -"Of course," said the lady. "Why not?" - -Bob felt relieved. He didn't want to make trouble. He was too miserable -himself. He trusted that would end the talk and now regarded the -neglected ball suggestively. - -"And then you went to still some other places?" went on the lady in that -same light, unoffended tone. - -"Ye-es," Bob had to admit. - -"One of those roof gardens, perhaps, where they have entertainments?" -she suggested brightly. - -Bob acknowledged they had gone to a roof garden. And again, and more -suggestively, he eyed the little white ball. But Mrs. Dan seemed to have -forgotten all about it. - -"Roof gardens," she said. "I adore roof gardens. They _are_ such a boon -to the people. I told dear Dan to be sure not to miss them. So nice to -think of him enjoying himself instead of moping away in a stuffy old -office." - -Bob gazed at her suspiciously. But she had such an open face! One of -those faces one can't help trusting. Mrs. Dan was just the homely, plain -old-fashioned type. At least, so she seemed. Anyhow, it didn't much -matter so far as Bob was concerned. He had to tell the truth. He hadn't -sought this conversation. It was forced on him. He was only going the -"even tenor of his way." He was, however, rather pleased that Mrs. Dan -did seem in some respects different from others of her sex. Bob didn't, -of course, really know much about the sex. - -"So you went to the roof garden--just you and Dan," purred Mrs. Dan. - -Bob didn't answer. He hoped she hadn't really put that as a question. - -"Or _were_ you and Dan alone?" She made it a question now. - -"No-a." - -"Who else were along?" - -"Dickie--" - -"And--?" - -"Clarence." - -She gazed toward Mrs. Clarence, while a shade of anxiety appeared on -Bob's face. In the distance Mrs. Clarence had paused to contemplate the -result of an unusually satisfactory display of skill. Mrs. Dan next -glanced sidewise at her caddy, but that young man seemed to have -relapsed into a condition of innocuous vacancy. He looked capable of -falling asleep standing. Certainly he wasn't trying to overhear. - -"Just you four men!" Mrs. Dan resumed her purring. "Or were you all -alone? No ladies along?" - -While expecting, of course, the negative direct, she was studying Bob -and gleaning what she could, surreptitiously, or by inference. He had an -eloquent face which might tell her something his lips refused to reveal. -His answer almost took her breath away. - -"Ye-es." - -He was sorry, but he had to say it. No way out of it! Mrs. Dan's jaw -fell. What she might have said can only be conjectured, for at this -moment, luckily for Bob, there came an interruption. - -"Tête-à-têting, instead of teeing!" broke in a jocular voice. The -speaker wore ecclesiastical garments; his imposing calves were encased -in episcopal gaiters. Mrs. Ralston always liked to dignify her -house-parties with a religious touch, and this particular bishop was -very popular with her. Bob inwardly blessed the good man for his -opportune appearance. He was a ponderous wag. - -"Forgive interruption," he went on, just as if Mrs. Dan who was -non-amatory had been engaged in a furious flirtation. "I'll be hurrying -on." - -"Do," said Mrs. Dan, matching his tone, and concealing any inward -exasperation that she might have felt. - -"It's I who will be hurrying on," interposed Bob quickly. "You see, I'm -expected to arrive at the house," he laughed. - -"Looked as if you were having an interesting conversation," persisted -the bishop waggishly. - -"And so we were," assented Mrs. Dan. She could have stamped with -vexation, but instead, she forced a smile. The dear tiresome bishop had -to be borne. - -"Confess you find me de trop?" he went on, shaking a finger at Bob. - -"On the contrary," said Bob. - -"Has to say that," laughed the good man. He did love to poke fun (or -what he conceived "fun") at "fair, fat and forty." "I suppose you were -positively dee-lighted to be interrupted?" - -"I was," returned Bob truthfully. - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the bishop. - -Bob looked at him. The bishop thought he was joking, just as the hackman -had. Of course, no one could say such a thing as that seriously and in -the presence of the lady herself. People always didn't believe truth -when they heard it. They thought telling the truth a form of crude -humor, and a spark of hope-a very small one--shot through Bob's brain. -Perhaps they would continue to look upon him in the light of a joker. He -would be the little joker in the pack of cards and he might yet pull off -that "three weeks" without pulling down the house. Only--would Miss -Gerald look upon him as a joker? Intuition promptly told him she would -not. His thoughts reverted to that last meeting. Think of having told -her he didn't want--His offense grew more awful unto himself every -moment. He ceased to remember Mrs. Dan, and saying something, he hardly -knew what, Bob walked on. - -Miss Gwendoline Gerald was on the big veranda when he reached the house. -He would have thanked her humbly and with immense contrition for having -transferred his bag and clubs hither, but as he went by, that gracious, -stately young lady seemed not to see him. It was as if he had suddenly -become invisible. Her face didn't even change; the proud contour -expressed neither contempt nor disdain; the perfectly formed lips didn't -take a more pronounced curve or grow hard. - -Bob felt himself shrink. He was like that man in the story book who -becomes invisible at times. The fiction man, however, attained this -convenient consummation through his own volition. Bob didn't. She was -the magician and he wasn't even a joker. - -He managed to reach the front door without stumbling. A wild desire to -attract her attention by asking her if his luggage _had_ arrived safely, -he dismissed quickly. It wouldn't do at all. It might imply a fear she -had dumped it out, en route. And if she hadn't, such an inquiry would -only emphasize the fact that she had acted as expressman--or woman--and -for him! - -He would go to his room at once, he told the footman. He didn't mind a -few moments' solitude. If so much could happen before his house-party -had begun--before he even got into the house--what might he not expect -later? In one of the upper halls he encountered the man with the -monocle. - -"I say!" said this person. "What a jolly coincidence!" - -"Think so?" said Bob. He didn't find anything "jolly" about it. On -another occasion, he might have noticed that the eye behind the -"window-pane" was rather twinkling, but his perceptions were not -particularly keen at the present time. - -In the room to which he had been assigned, Bob cast off a few garments. -Then he stopped with his shirt partly off. He wondered how Miss Gerald -would look the next time he saw her? Like a frozen Hebe, perhaps! Bob -removed the shirt and cast it viciously somewhere. Then he selected -another shirt--the first that came along, for why should he exercise -care to select? It matters little what an invisible man wears. _She_ -wouldn't see the extra stripe or the bigger dot. Stripes couldn't rescue -him from insubstantiability. Colors, too, would make no difference. -Pea-green, yellow, or lavender--it was all one. Any old shirt would do. -And any old tie! - -When he had finished dressing, he didn't find any further excuse for -remaining in his room. He couldn't consult his desires as to that. He -wasn't asked there to be a hermit. He couldn't imitate Timon of Athens, -Diogenes or any other of those wise old fellows who did the glorious -solitude act. Diogenes told the truth, mostly, but he could live in a -tub. He didn't have to participate in house-parties. Whoever invented -house-parties, anyhow? They were such uncomfortable "social functions" -they must have been invented by the English. Why do people want to get -together? Bob could sympathize with Diogenes. Also, he could envy Timon -his howling wilderness! But personally he couldn't even be a Robinson -Crusoe. Would there were no other company than clawless crabs and a goat -and a parrot! He would not be afraid to tell _them_ the truth. - -He had to go down and he did. Nemesis lurked for him below. Had Bob -realized what was going to happen he would have skipped back to his -room. But, as it was, he assumed a bold front. He even said to himself, -"Cheer up; the worst is yet to come." It was. - - - - - CHAPTER V--TRIVIALITIES - - -Luncheon came and went, but nothing actually tragic happened at it. Bob -didn't make more than a dozen remarks that failed to add to his -popularity. He tried to be agreeable, because that was his nature. That -"even-tenor-of-his-way" condition made it incumbent on him--yes, made it -his sacred duty to be bright and amiable. So it was "Hence, loathed -Melancholy!" and a brave endeavor to be as jocund as the poet's lines! -Only those little unfortunate moments--airy preludes to larger -misfortunes--had to occur, and just when he would flatter himself he was -not doing so badly. - -For example, when Mrs. Augustus Ossenreich Vanderpool said: "Don't you -adore dogs, Mr. Bennett?" - -"No. I like them." It became necessary to qualify that. "That is--not -the little kind." - -The lady stiffened. Her beribboned and perfumed five-thousand-dollar -toy-dogs were the idolized darlings of her heart. The children might be -relegated to the nursery but the canines had the run of the boudoir. -They rode with her when she went out in state while the French _bonne_ -took the children for an airing. "And why are the 'little kind' excluded -from the realm of your approbation?" observed Mrs. Vanderpool coldly. - -It was quite a contract to answer that. Bob wanted to be truthful; not -to say too much or too little; only just as much as he was in honor -bound to say. "I think people make too much fuss over them," he answered -at last. That reply seemed quite adequate and he trusted the lady would -change the subject. But people had a way of not doing what he wanted -them to, lately. - -"What do you call 'too much fuss'?" pursued the lady persistently. - -Bob explained as best he could. It was rather a thankless task and he -floundered a good deal as he went about it. He wasn't going to be a bit -more disagreeable than he could help, only he couldn't help being as -disagreeable as he had to be. The fact that Miss Gwendoline Gerald's -starry eyes were on him with cold curiosity did not improve the lucidity -of his explanation. In the midst of it, she to whom he was talking, -seemed somehow to detach herself from him, gradually, not pointedly, for -he hardly knew just when or how she got away. She seemed just to float -off and to attach herself somewhere else--to the bishop or to a certain -judge Mrs. Ralston always asked to her house-parties that they might -have a judicial as well as an ecclesiastical touch--and Bob's -explanation died on the thin air. He let it die. He didn't have to speak -truth to vacancy. - -Then he tangoed, but not with Miss Gwendoline Gerald. He positively -dared not approach that young lady. He didn't tango because he wanted -to, but because some one set a big music-box going and he knew he was -expected to tango. He did it beautifully and the young lady was charmed. -She was a little dark thing, of the clinging variety, and Dickie had -gone with her some. Her father owned properties that would go well with -Dickie's--there'd been some talk of consolidation, but it had never come -off. Papa was inclined to be stand-offish. Then Dickie began to get -attentive to the little dark thing, though nothing had yet come of that -either. Bob didn't own any properties but the little dark thing didn't -mind that. At tangoing, he was a dream. Properties can't tango. - -"You do it so well," said the little dark thing breathlessly. - -"Do I?" murmured Bob, thinking of a stately young goddess, now tangoing -with another fellow. - -"Don't you adore it?" went on the little dark thing, nestling as close -as was conventional and proper. - -"I might," observed Bob. That was almost as bad as the dog question. He -trusted the matter would end there. - -She giggled happily. "Maybe you disapprove of modern dancing, Mr. -Bennett?" - -"That depends," said Bob gloomily. He meant it depended upon who was -"doing the modern" with the object of your fondest affections. If you -yourself were engaged in the arduous pastime with said object, you -would, naturally harbor no particular objections against said modern -tendencies, but if you weren't?-- - -Bob tangoed more swiftly. His thoughts were so bitter he wanted to run -away from them. The irony of gliding rhythmically and poetically in -seeming joyous abandon of movement when his heart weighed a ton! If that -heaviness of heart were communicated to his legs, they would in reality -be as heavy as those of a deep-sea diver, weighted down for a ten-fathom -plunge. - -And in thus trying to run away from his thoughts Bob whirled the little -dark thing quite madly. He couldn't dance ungracefully if he tried and -the little dark thing had a soul for rhythm. It was as if he were trying -to run away with her. He fairly took away her breath. She was a panting -little dark thing on his broad breast now, but she didn't ask him to -stop. The music-box ceased to be musical and that brought them to a -stop. The eyes of the little dark thing--her name was Dolly--sparkled, -and she gazed up at Bob with the respect one of her tender and -impressionable years has for a masculine whirlwind. - -"You quite sweep one off one's feet, Mr. Bennett," she managed to -ejaculate. - -At that moment Miss Gwendoline passed, a divine bud glowing on either -proud cheek. She caught the remark and looked at the maker of it. She -noted the sparkle in the eyes. The little dark thing was a wonder with -the men. She seemed to possess the knack--only second to Miss -Gwendoline, in that line--of converting them into "trailers." Miss -Gwendoline, though, never tried to attain this result. Men became her -trailers without any effort on her part, while the little dark thing had -to exert herself, but it was agreeable work. She made Bob a trailer now, -temporarily. Miss Gwendoline turned her head slightly, with a gleam of -surprise to watch him trail. She had noticed that Bob had danced with -irresistible and almost pagan abandon. That argued enjoyment. - -The little dark thing would "come in" ultimately for hundreds of -belching chimneys and glowing furnaces and noisy factories--quite a snug -if cacophonous legacy!--and Miss Gwendoline had only that day heard -rumors that Bob's governor had fallen down and hurt himself on the -"street." She, Miss Gwendoline, had not attached much importance to -those rumors. People were always having little mishaps in the "street," -and then bobbing up richer than ever. - -But now that rumor recurred to her more vividly in the light of Bob's -trailing performance and the mad abandon of his tangoing. Of course, all -men are gamblers, or fortune-hunters, or something equally -reprehensible, at heart! Tendency of a cynical, selfish and -money-grabbing age! Miss Gwendoline was no moralist but she had lived in -a wise set, where people keep their eyes open and weigh things for just -what they are. Naturally a young man whose governor has gone on the -rocks (though only temporarily, perhaps), might think that belching -chimneys, though somewhat splotchy on the horizon and unpicturesque to -the eye, might be acceptable, in a first-aid-to-the-injured sense. But -Bob as a plain, ordinary fortune-hunter?-- Somehow the role did not fit -him. - -Besides, a fortune-hunter would not bruskly and unceremoniously have -refused _her_ invitation to ride in the trap. And at the recollection of -that affront, Miss Gwendoline's violet eyes again gleamed, until for -sparkles they out-matched those of the little dark thing. However, she -held herself too high to be really resentful. It was impossible she -should resent anything so incomprehensible, she told herself. That would -lend dignity to the offense. Therefore she could only be mildly amused -by it. This was, no doubt, a properly lofty attitude, but was it a -genuine one? Was she not actually at heart, deeply resentful and -dreadfully offended? Pride being one of her marked characteristics, she -demanded a great deal and would not accept a little. - -The sparkles died from the hard violet eyes. A more tentative expression -replaced that other look as her glance now passed meditatively over the -dark little thing. The latter had certainly a piquant bizarre -attraction. She looked as if she could be very intense, though she was -of that clinging-vine variety of young woman. She wore one of those -tango gowns which was odd, outre and a bit daring. It went with her -personality. At the same time her innocent expression seemed a mute, -almost pathetic little appeal to you _not_ to think it too daring. - -As Miss Gerald studied the young lady, albeit without seeming to do so -and holding her own in a sprightly tango kind of talk, another thought -flashed into her mind. Bob might be genuinely and sentimentally smitten. -Why not? Men frequently fell in love with the little dark thing, and -afterward some of them said she had a "good deal of temperament." Bob -might be on a temperament-investigating quest. At any rate, it was all -one to Miss Gerald. Life was a comedy. _N'est-ce-pas?_ What was it -Balzac called it? _La Comedie Humaine._ - -Meanwhile, other eyes than Miss Gerald's were bent upon luckless Bob. -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence looked as if they would like to have a word -with him. Mrs. Dan even maneuvered in his direction at the conclusion of -the dance while Bob watched her with ill-concealed apprehension. He -detected, also, an uncanny interest in Mrs. Clarence's eyes as that -masterful lady eyed him and Mrs. Dan from a distance. Mrs. Dan almost -got him when--the saints be praised!--Mrs. Ralston, herself, tripped -blithely up and annexed him. For the moment he was safe, but only for -the moment. - -A reckless desire to end it all surged through Bob's inmost being. If -only his hostess would say something demanding an answer that would -incur such disapprobation on her part, he would feel impelled, in the -natural order of events, to hasten his departure. Maybe then (and he -thrilled at the thought), she might even intimate in her chilliest -manner that his _immediate_ departure would be the logical sequence of -some truthful spasm she, herself, had forced from him? He couldn't talk -French to Mrs. Ralston now; he was in honor bound not to. He would have -to speak right up in the King's English--or Uncle Sam's American. - -Of course, such a consummation--Bob's being practically _forced_ to take -his departure--was extremely unpleasant and awful to contemplate, yet -worse things could happen than that--a whole string of them, one right -after another! - -However, he had no such luck as to be ordered forthwith off the -premises. He didn't offend Mrs. Ralston at all. That lady was very nice -to him (or otherwise, from Bob's present view-point) and did most of the -talking herself. Perhaps she considered that compliment (?) Bob had -bestowed upon her at the Waldorf sufficient to excuse him for a while -from further undue efforts at flattery. At any rate, she didn't seem to -take it amiss that Bob didn't say a lot more of equally nice things in -that Chesterfieldian manner and with such a perfect French accent. - -But he "got in bad" that afternoon with divers and sundry other guests -of Mrs. Ralston. Mrs. Augustus O. Vanderpool and Miss Gerald weren't the -only ones who threw cold glances his way, for the faux pas he made--that -he _had_ to make--were something dreadful. For example, when some one -asked him what he thought of Miss Schermerhorn's voice, he had to say -huskily what was in his mind: - -"It is rather too strident, isn't it?" No sugar-coating the truth! If he -had said anything else he would have been compromising with veracity; he -would not have spoken the thought born in his brain at the question. Of -course, some one repeated what he said to Miss Schermerhorn, who came -from one of the oldest families, was tall and angular, and cherished -fond illusions, or delusions, that she was an amateur nightingale. The -some one who repeated, had to repeat, because Miss Schermerhorn was her -dearest friend and confidante. Then Miss Schermerhorn came right up to -Bob and asked him if he had said it and he was obliged to answer that he -had. What she said, or thought, need not be repeated. She left poor Bob -feeling about as big as a caterpillar. - -"How very tactful of Mr. Bennett!" was all Miss Gerald said, when Miss -Dolly related to her the little incident. - -"That's just what I adore in him!" gushed the temperamental little -thing. "He doesn't seem to be afraid of saying anything to anybody. He's -so delightfully frank!" - -"Frank, certainly!" answered Miss Gerald icily. - -"Anyhow, he's a regular tango-king!" murmured Miss Dolly dreamily. - -"I'm so glad _you_ approve of him, dear!" said Miss Gerald with an -enigmatic smile. Perhaps she implied the temperamental little thing -found herself in a class, all by herself, in this regard. - -The latter flew over to Bob. If he was so "frank" and ingenuous about -Miss Schermerhorn, perhaps he would be equally so with other persons. -Miss Dolly asked him if he didn't think the bishop's sermons "just too -dear?" Bob did not. "Why not?" she persisted. Bob had just been reading -_The Outside of the Pot_. "Why not?" repeated Miss Dolly. - -"Antediluvian!" groaned Bob, then turned a fiery red. The bishop, -standing on the other side of the doorway, had overheard. Maybe Miss -Dolly had known he stood there for she now giggled and fled. Bob wanted -to sink through the floor, but he couldn't. - -"So, sir, you think my sermons antediluvian?" said the bishop, with a -twinkle of the eye. _He_ never got mad, he was the best old man that way -that ever happened. - -"Yes, sir," replied Bob, by rote. - -"Thank you," said the bishop, and rubbed his nose. Then he eyed Bob -curiously. "Maybe you're right," he said. That made Bob feel awful, but -he couldn't retract. The truth as he saw it!--He felt as if he were -chained to the wheel of fate--the truth as he saw it, though the heavens -fell! - -"Of course, that's only my poor insignificant opinion," he murmured -miserably. - -"Every man's opinion is entitled to respect," said the bishop. - -"Yes, sir," replied Bob, more miserably still. - -The bishop continued to study him. "You interest me, Mr. Bennett." - -"Do I?" said Bob. "I'm rather interesting to myself just now." - -"You evidently agree with the author of _The Outside of the Pot_?" - -"That's it." Weakly. - -"Well, cheer up," said the bishop, and walked away. - -Later in the day the judge might have been heard to say to the bishop -that "that young Bennett cub is a good-for-nothing jackanapes"--from -which it might be inferred Bob had somehow managed to rub the judge's -ermine the wrong way. - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the bishop. "Did some one ask him what he thought of -judges?" - -But the judge did not laugh. His frown was awful. - -"Or was it about the 'recall'? Or the relation of judges and -corporations?" - -The judge looked stern as Jove. "Ass!" he muttered. - -"Maybe he's a progressive," returned the bishop. "The world seems to be -changing. Ought we to change with it, I wonder?" - -"I don't," snapped the judge. "If the world to-day is producing such -fatuous blockheads, give me the world as it was." - -"The trouble is," said the bishop, again rubbing his nose, "can we get -it back? Hasn't it left us behind and are we ever going to catch up?" - -"Fudge!" said the judge. He and the bishop were such old friends, he -could take that liberty. - -Another of the sterner sex--one of Mrs. Ralston's guests--looked as if -he, too, could have said: "Fudge!" His lips fairly curled when he -regarded Bob. He specialized as a vivisectionist, and he was a great -authority. Now Bob loved the "under-dog" and was naturally kind and -sympathetic. He had been blessed--or cursed--with a very tender heart -for such a compact, well-put-up, six foot or so compound of hard-headed -masculinity. Miss Dolly--imp of mischief--again rather forced the talk. -It must be wonderful to cut things up and juggle with hind legs and -kidneys and brains and mix them all up with different animals, until a -poor little cat didn't know if it had a dog's brain or its own? And was -it true that sometimes the dogs me-owed, and when a cat started to purr -did it wag its tail instead? This was all right from Miss Dolly, but -when the conversation expanded and Bob was appealed to, it was -different. "Wouldn't _you_ just love to mix up the different 'parts'?" -asked Miss Dolly, and put a rabbit's leg on a pussy, just to watch its -expression of surprise when it started to run and found itself only able -to jump, or half-jump? That got honest Bob--who couldn't have carved up -a poor dumb beast, to save his life--fairly involved, and before he had -staggered from that conversational morass, he had offended Authority -about two dozen times. Indeed, Authority openly turned its back on him. -Authority found Bob impossible. - -These are fair samples of a few of his experiences. And all the while he -had an uneasy presentiment that Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence were waiting -to get him and have _their_ innings. Now, Mrs. Dan would bestow upon him -a too sweet smile between games of tennis; then Mrs. Clarence would -drift casually in his direction, but something would happen that would -prevent a heart-to-heart duologue, and she would as casually drift away -again. These hit-and-miss tactics, however, gradually got on Bob's -nerves, and in consequence, he who was usually a star and a cracker jack -at the game, played abominable tennis that afternoon--thus enhancing his -unpopularity with divers partners who simply couldn't understand why he -had fallen off so. Indeed, about every one he came in contact with was -profoundly dissatisfied or disgusted with Bob. Miss Gerald, who usually -played with him, now firmly but unostentatiously, avoided him, and -though Bob couldn't blame her, of course, still the fact did not tend to -mitigate his melancholy. - -How different in the past!--that glorious, never-to-be-forgotten past! -Then he had inwardly reveled and rejoiced in her lithe movements--for -with all her stateliness and proud carriage, she was like a young -panther for grace. Now as luckless Bob played with some one else, a -tantalizing college ditty floated through his brain: "I wonder who's -kissing her now?" - -Of course, no one was. She wasn't that kind. Though some one, some day, -would! It was in the natural order of things bound to occur, and Bob, in -fancy, saw those disdainful red lips, with some one hovering over, as he -swung at a white ball and sent it--well, not where he should have. - -"You are playing very badly, partner," a reproving voice reminded him. - -Bob muttered something. Confound that frivolous haunting song! He would -dismiss the dire and absurd possibility. Some one else was with her, -though, and that was sufficiently poignant. There were several of the -fellows tremendously smitten in that quarter. Fine, husky athletic -chaps, too! Some of them quite expert at wooing, no doubt, for devotees -of house-parties become educated and acquire finesse. They don't have to -tell the truth all the time, but on the contrary, are privileged to -prevaricate in the most artistic manner. They can gaze into beautiful -eyes and swear that they have "never before," and so on. They can -perform prodigies of prevarication and "get away" with them. Bob played -now even worse than before. - -The sun got low at last, however, and wearily he retired to his room, to -change his garments for dinner. Incidentally, he surveyed himself in the -mirror with haunting earnestness of gaze. Had he grown perceptibly -older? He thought he could detect a few lines of care on his erstwhile -unsullied brow, and with a sigh, he turned away to array himself in the -customary black--or "glad rags"--which seemed now, however, but the -habiliments of woe. Then he descended to receive a new shock; he found -out that Mrs. Ralston had assigned Mrs. Dan to him, to take in to -dinner. Drearily Bob wondered if it were mere chance that he had drawn -Mrs. Dan for a dinner prize, or if Mrs. Dan herself had somehow brought -about that, to her, desired consummation. As he gave Mrs. Dan his arm he -saw Mrs. Clarence exchange glances with the commodore's good lady. Mrs. -Ralston went in with the monocle man. - - - - - CHAPTER VI--DINNER - - -Mrs. Dan dallied with Bob, displaying all the artifices of an old -campaigner. Of course, she had no idea how easy it might be for her to -learn all she wanted to. She could not know he was like a barrel or -puncheon of information and that all she had to do was to pull the plug -and let information flow out. She regarded Bob more in the light of a -safety vault; the bishop's interruption had put him on his guard and she -would have to get through those massive outer-doors of his reserve, -before she could force the many smaller doors to various boxes full of -startling facts. - -It was a fine tableful of people, of which they were a part. Wealth, -beauty, brains and brawn were all there. An orchestra played somewhere. -Being paid performers you didn't see them and as distance lends -enchantment to music, on most occasions, the result was admirable. -Delicate orchids everywhere charmed with their hues without exuding that -too obtrusive perfume of commoner flowers. Mrs. Ralston was an orchid -enthusiast and down on the Amazon she kept an orchid-hunter who, -whenever he found a new variety, sent her a cable. - -So Mrs. Dan started on orchids with Bob. She hadn't the slightest -interest in orchids, but she displayed a simulated interest that sounded -almost like real interest. Mrs. Dan hadn't practised on society, or had -society practise on her, all these years for nothing. She could get that -simulated-interested tone going without any effort. But Bob's attention -wandered, and he gazed toward Miss Gerald who occupied a place quite a -distance from him. - -Mrs. Dan, failing to interest Bob on orchids, now took another tack. She -sailed a conversational course on caviar. Men usually like things to -eat, and to talk about them, especially such caviar as this. But Bob -eyed the almost priceless Malasol as if it were composed of plain, -ordinary fish-eggs. He didn't even enthuse when he took a sip of Moselle -that matched the Malasol and had more "bouquet" than the flowers. So -Mrs. Dan, again altering her conversational course, sailed merrily -before the wind amid the breeze of general topics and gay light -persiflage. She was at her best now. There wasn't anything she didn't -know something about. She talked plays, operas and amusements which -gradually led her up to roof gardens. She took her time, though, before -laying the bowsprit of her desires straight in the real direction she -wished to go. She knew she could proceed cautiously and circumspectly, -that there was no need for hurry; the meal would be fairly prolonged. -Mrs. Ralston's dinners were elaborate affairs; there might even be a few -professional entertainment features between courses. - -"And speaking about roof gardens," went on Mrs. Dan, looking any way -save at Bob, "I believe you were telling me, only this afternoon, how -you and dear Dan were finally driven to them as a last resort. Poor Dan! -So glad to hear he could get a breath of fresh air in that stuffy old -town! Just hated to think of him confined to some stuffy old office. Men -work too hard in our strenuous, bustling country, don't you think so? -And then they break down prematurely. I've always told Dan," she rattled -on, "to enjoy himself--innocently, of course." She paused to take -breath. "Don't you think men work too hard in America, Mr. Bennett?" she -repeated. - -"Sometimes," said Bob. - -She gave him a quick look. Perhaps she was proceeding rather fast, -though Bob didn't look on his guard. "As I told you, I adore roof -gardens. But you were telling me you men were not alone. What harm!" she -gurgled. "Some people," talking fast, "are so prudish. I'm sure we're -not put in the world to be that. Don't you agree?" - -"Of course," said Bob absently. He didn't like the way that fellow down -on the other side of the table was gazing into Miss Gwendoline's eyes. -"I beg your pardon. I--I don't think I caught that." - -"We were saying there were some wom--ladies with you," said Mrs. Dan -quickly. Too quickly! She strove to curb her precipitancy. "You -remember? You told me?" Her voice trailed off, as if it were a matter of -little interest. - -"Did I?" Bob caught himself up with a jerk. He felt now as if he were a -big fish being angled for, and gazed at her with sudden apprehension. -The lady's, mien however, was reassuring. - -"Of course," she laughed. "Don't you remember?" - -"I believe I did say something of the kind." Slowly. He had had to. - -"Surely you don't deny now?" she continued playfully. - -"No." He had not spared himself. He couldn't spare Dan. The lady's -manner seemed to say: "_I_ don't care a little bit." Anyhow, the evening -in question had passed innocently, if frivolously, enough. No harm would -come to Dan in consequence. And again Bob's interest floated elsewhere. - -He noticed Miss Gwendoline did not seem exactly averse to letting that -fellow by her side gaze into her eyes. Confound the fellow! He had one -of those open honest faces. A likable chap, too! One of the -Olympian-game brand! A weight-putter, or hammer-thrower, or something of -the kind. Bob could have heaved considerable of a sledge himself at that -moment. - -"Of course, boys will be boys," prattled Mrs. Dan at his side, just in -the least stridently. "I suppose you sat down and they just happened -along and sat down, too! You couldn't very well refuse to let them, -could you? That wouldn't have been very polite?" She hardly knew what -she was saying herself now. Though a conversational general, on most -occasions, her inward emotion was now running apace. It was almost -beating her judgment in the race. She tried to pull herself together. -"Why, in Paris, doing the sights at the Jardin or the Moulin Rouge, or -the Casino de Paris, every one takes it or them--these chance -acquaintances--as a matter of course. _Pour passer le temps!_ And why -not?" With a shrug and in her sprightliest manner. "So the ladies in -this instance, as you were saying, came right up, too, and--?" - -She paused. That was crude--clumsy--even though she rattled it off as if -without thinking. She was losing all her finesse. But again, to her -surprise, the fish took the bait. She did not know Bob's -predicament--that _he_ couldn't finesse. - -"Yes, they came up," said Bob reluctantly, though pleased that Mrs. Dan -appeared such a good kind of fellow. - -"Show-girls?" asked the lady quickly. - -"Well--ah!--two of them were." - -"Two? And what were the others?" - -Bob again regarded the lady apprehensively, but her expression was -eminently reassuring. It went with the music, the bright flowers and the -rest of the gay scene. Mrs. Dan's smile was one of unadulterated -enjoyment; she didn't seem displeased at all. Must be she wasn't -displeased! Perhaps she was like some of those model French wives who -aren't averse at all to having other ladies attentive to their husbands? -Mrs. Dan had lived in Paris and might have acquired with a real accent -an accompanying broad-mindedness of character. That might be what made -the dear old commodore act so happy most of the time, and so juvenile, -too! Mrs. Dan _looked_ broad-minded. She had a broad face and her figure -was broad--very! At the moment she seemed fairly to radiate -broad-mindedness and again Bob felt glad--on the commodore's account. He -had nothing to feel glad about, himself, with that confounded -hammer-thrower-- - -"Who were the others, did you say?" repeated Mrs. Dan, in her most -broad-minded tone. - -She seemed only talking to make conversation and looked away -unconcernedly as she spoke. Lucky for Dan she was broad-minded--that -they had once been expatriates together! Even if she hadn't been, -however, Bob would have had to tell the truth. - -"Who were the others?" he repeated absently, one eye on Miss Gerald. -"Oh, they were 'ponies.'" - -"'Ponies,'" said the lady giving a slight start and then recovering. "I -beg your pardon, but--ah--do you happen to be referring to the -horse-show?" - -"Not at all," answered Bob. "The ponies I refer to," wearily, "are not -equine." These technical explanations were tiresome. At that moment he -was more concerned with the hammer-thrower, who had evidently just -hurled a witticism at Miss Gerald, for both were laughing. Would that -Bob could have caught the silvery sound of her voice! Would he had been -near enough! Across the table, the little dark thing threw him a few -consolatory glances. He had almost forgotten about her. Miss Dolly's -temperamental eyes seemed to say "Drink to me only with thine eyes," and -Bob responded recklessly to the invitation. The little dark thing seemed -the only one on earth who was good to him. He drank to her with his -eyes--without becoming intoxicated. Then she held a glass to her lips -and gazed at him over it. He held one to his and did likewise. He should -have become doubly intoxicated, but he didn't. He set down his glass -mournfully. Miss Gerald noticed this sentimental little byplay, but what -Bob did was, of course, of no moment to her. - -"Ponies, Mr. Bennett? And not equine?" Mrs. Dan with difficulty -succeeded in again riveting Bob's wandering attention. "Ah, of course!" -Her accents rising frivolously. "How stupid of me!" Gaily. "You mean the -kind that do the dancing in the musical shows." And Mrs. Dan glanced a -little furtively at her right. - -But on that side the good bishop was still expounding earnestly to the -lady he had brought in. He was not in the least interested in what Mrs. -Dan and Bob were saying. He was too much concerned in what he was saying -himself. At Bob's left sat the young lady who had been his partner at -tennis in the afternoon but she, obviously, took absolutely no interest -in Bob now. He had a vague recollection of having been forced to say -something in her hearing, earlier in the day, that had sounded almost as -bad as his tennis-playing had been. Truth, according to the -philosophers, is beautiful. Only it doesn't seem to be! This young lady -had turned as much of the back of a bare "cold shoulder" on Bob at the -table as she could. In fact, she made it quite clear Mrs. Dan could have -the young man entirely to herself. So Mrs. Dan and Bob were really as -alone, for confidential conversational purposes, as if they had been -secluded in some retired cozy-corner. - -"Two show-girls and two ponies!" Mrs. Dan went on blithely. "That made -one apiece." With a laugh. "Who got the ponies?" - -"Clarence got one." - -"And Dan?" - -Bob nodded. He had to, it was in the contract. The lady laughed again -right gaily. - -"Dan always did like the turf," she breathed softly. "So fond of the -track, or anything equine." - -For the moment Bob became again almost suspicious of her, she was _such_ -a "good fellow"! And Bob wasn't revengeful; because he had suffered -himself he didn't wish the commodore any harm. Of course it would be -rather a ghastly joke on the commodore if Mrs. Dan wasn't such a "good -fellow" as she seemed. But Bob dismissed that contingency. He was -helpless, anyway. He was no more than a chip in a stream. The current of -Mrs. Dan's questions carried him along. - -"And what did the pony Dan got, look like?" - -"I think she had reddish hair." - -"How lurid! I suppose you all had a few ponies with the ponies?" -Jocularly. - -"Yes," said the answering-machine. - -"I suppose the ponies had names? They usually do," she rattled on. - -"Yes. They had names, of course." - -"What was Dan's called?" - -The orchestra was playing a little louder now--one of those wild -pieces--a rhapsody! - -"Don't know her real name." - -"Her stage name, then?" - -"Not sure of that!" Doubtfully. - -"But Dan _must_ have called her something?" With a gay little laugh. - -"Yes." Bob hesitated. In spite of that funereal feeling, he couldn't -suppress a grin. "He called her Gee-gee." - -"Gee-gee!" almost shrieked the lady. Then she laughed harder than ever. -She was certainly a good actress. At that moment she caught Mrs. -Clarence Van Duzen's eye; it was coldly questioning. - -"And what did the pony Clarence got, look like?" Mrs. Dan had passed the -stage of analyzing or reasoning clearly. She didn't even ask herself why -Bob wasn't more evasive. She didn't want to know whether it was that -"good-fellow" manner on her part that had really deceived him into -unbosoming the truth to her, or whether--well, he had been drinking too -much? He held himself soberly enough, it is true, but there are strong -men who look sober and can walk a chalk line, when they aren't sober at -all. Bob might belong to that class. She thought she had detected -something on his breath when he passed on the links and he might have -been "hitting it up" pretty hard since, on the side, with some of the -men. In "vino veritas"! But whether "vino," or denseness on his part, -she was sure of the "veritas." Instinct told her she had heard the -truth. - -"And Clarence's pony--did she have red hair, too?" She put the question -in a different way, for Bob was hesitating again. - -"No." - -"What was its hue?" - -"Peroxide, I guess." Gloomily. - -"Is that all you remember?" Mrs. Dan now was plying questions -recklessly, regardlessly, as if Bob were on the witness-stand and she -were state prosecutor. - -"About all. Oh!--her nose turned up and she had a freckle." - -"How interesting!" Mrs. Dan's laugh was rather forced, and she and Mrs. -Clarence again exchanged glances, but Bob didn't notice. "And what was -she called?" Breathing a little hard. - -"Gid-up," said Bob gravely. - -"'Gid-up'!" Again the lady almost had a paroxysm, but whether or not of -mirth, who shall say. "Gee-gee and Gid-up!" Her broad bosom rose and -fell. - -"Telegram, sir!" At that moment Bob heard another voice at his elbow. -Across the table the man with the monocle was gazing at him curiously. - - - - - CHAPTER VII--VARYING VICISSITUDES - - -A footman had brought the message, which Bob now took and opened -mechanically. It was from the commodore. - -"For heaven's sake," it ran, "return at once to New York Will explain." - -Bob eyed it gloomily. The commodore must have been considerably rattled -when he had sent that. - -"Any answer, sir?" said the footman. - -Bob shook his head. What could he answer? He couldn't run away now; the -commodore ought to know that. Of all fool telegrams!-- - -"A business message, I suppose?" purred the lady at his side. "I trust -it is nothing very important, to call you away?" - -"No, I shouldn't call it important," said Bob. "Quite unnecessary, I -should call it." - -He crumpled up the message and thrust it into his pocket. At that moment -one of Mrs. Ralston's paid performers--a high-class monologist--began to -earn his fee. He was quite funny and soon had every one laughing. Bob -strove to forget his troubles and laugh too. Mrs. Dan couldn't very well -talk to him now, and relieved from that lady's pertinent prattle, he -gradually let that "dull-care grip" slip from his resistless fingers. -Welcoming the mocking goddess of the cap and bells, he yielded to the -infectious humor and before long forgot the telegram and everything save -that crop of near-new stories. - -But when the dinner was finally over, he found himself, again wrapped in -deep gloom, wandering alone on the broad balcony. He didn't just know -how he came to be out there all alone--whether he drifted away from -people or whether they drifted away from him. Anyhow he wasn't burdened -with any one's company. He entertained a vague recollection that several -people had turned their backs on him. So if he was forced to lead a -hermit's life it wasn't his fault. Probably old Diogenes hadn't _wanted_ -to live in that tub; people had made him. They wouldn't stand him in a -house. There wasn't room for him and any one else in the biggest house -ever built. So the only place where truth could find that real, cozy, -homey feeling was _alone_ in a tub. And things weren't any better -to-day. Nice commentary on our boasted "advanced civilization!" - -Bob felt as if he were the most-alone man in the world! Why, he was so -lonesome, he wasn't even acquainted with himself. This was only his -"double" walking here. He knew now what that German poet was driving at -in those _Der Doppleganger_ verses. His "double" was alone. Where was -he?--the real he--the original ego? Hanged if he knew! He looked up at -the moon, but it couldn't tell him. At the same time, in spite of that -new impersonal relationship he had established toward himself, he felt -he ought to be immensely relieved in one respect. There would be no -"cozy-cornering" for him that evening. He had the whole wide world to -himself. He could be a wandering Jew as well as a _Doppleganger_, if he -wanted to. - -He made out now two shadows, or figures, in the moonlight. Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence were walking and talking together, but somehow he wasn't -at all curious about them. His mental faculties seemed numbed, as if his -brain were way off somewhere--between the earth and the moon, perhaps. -Then he heard the purring of a car, which seemed way off, too. He saw -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence get into the car and heard Mrs. Dan murmur -something about the village and the telegraph office, and the car slid -downward. Bob watched its rear light receding this way and that, like a -will-o'-the-wisp, or a lonesome firefly, until it disappeared on the -winding road. A cool breeze touched him without cooling his brow. Bob -threw away a cigar. What's the use of smoking when you don't taste the -weed? - -He wondered what he should do now? Go to bed, or--? It was too early for -bed. He wouldn't go to bed at that hour, if he kept to that -even-tenor-of-his-way condition. He hadn't violated any condition, so -far. Those fellows who had inveigled him into this wild and woolly -moving-picture kind of an impossible freak performance would have to -concede that. There could be no ground for complaint that he wasn't -living up to the letter and spirit of his agreement, even at the -sacrifice of his most sacred feelings. Yes, by yonder gracious lady of -the glorious moon! He wondered where _his_ gracious lady was now and -what she was doing? Of course, the hammer-thrower was with her. - -"Are you meditating on your loneliness, Mr. Bennett?" said a -well-remembered voice. The tones were even and composed. They were also -distantly cold. Bob wheeled. Stars of a starry night! It was she. - - * * * * * - -She came right up and spoke to him--the pariah--the abhorred of many! -His heart gave a thump and he could feel its hammering as his glowing -eyes met the beautiful icy ones. - -"How did you get rid of him?" he breathed hoarsely. - -"Him?" said Miss Gwendoline Gerald, in a tone whose stillness should -have warned Bob. - -"That sledge-hammer man? That weight-putter? That Olympian village -blacksmith, I mean? The fellow with the open honest face?" - -"I don't believe I understand," observed the young lady, straight and -proud as a wonderful princess in the moonlight. Bob gazed at her in -rapture. Talk about the shoulders of that girl who had given him the -cold shoulder at the dinner-table!--Miss Gwendoline's shoulders were a -thousand times superior; they would cause any sculptor to rave. Their -plastic beauty was that of the purest marble in that pure light. And -that pure, perfect face, likewise bathed in the celestial flood of -light--until now, never had he quite realized what he had lost, in -losing her. - -"But never mind about explaining," went on the vision, apropos of Bob's -Olympian, village-blacksmith remark. "I didn't come to discuss -generalities." - -"Of course not," assented Bob eagerly. - -The music from the house now sounded suspiciously like a trot. Miss -Gerald saw, though indistinctly, a face look out of the door. It might -have been the little dark thing peering around for Bob, for she was -quite capable of doing that. Bob didn't notice her--if it were she. He -had eyes for but one. He was worshiping in that distant, eager, hungry, -lost-soul kind of a way. Miss Gerald's glance returned to Bob. - -"Will you be so good as to take a turn or two about the garden with me?" -she said in a calm, if hard and matter-of-fact tone. A number of people -were now approaching from the other end of the broad, partially-enclosed -space and Miss Gerald had observed them. - -"Will I?" Bob's accents expressed more eloquently than words how he felt -about complying with that request. Would a man dying of thirst drink a -goblet of cool, sparkling spring-water? Would a miser refuse gold? Or a -canine a bone? "Will I?" repeated Bob, ecstatically, and threw back his -shoulders. Thus men go forth to conquer. He did not realize how unique -he was at the moment, for he was quite swept away. The girl cast on him -a quick enigmatic glance, then led the way. - -Sometimes his eyes turned to the stars and sometimes toward her as they -moved along. In the latter instance, they were almost proprietary, as if -he knew she ought to belong to him, though she never would. The stars -seemed to say she was made for him, the breeze to whisper it. Of course, -he hadn't really any right to act "proprietary"; it was taking a certain -poetic license with the situation. Once Miss Gerald caught that -proprietary look and into the still depths of her own gaze sprang an -expression of wonder. But it didn't linger; her eyes became once more -coldly, proudly assured. - -Bob didn't ask whither she was leading him, or what fate had in store -for him. Sufficient unto the present moment was the happiness thereof! A -fool's paradise is better than no paradise at all. He didn't stop now to -consider that he might be playing with verity when he hugged to his -breast an illusory joy. - -She didn't talk at first, but he didn't find anything to complain of in -that. It was blissful enough just to swing along silently at her side. -He didn't have to bother about the truth-proposition when she didn't say -anything. He could yield to a quiet unadulterated joy in the stillness. -If denied, temporarily, the music of her voice, he was, at least, -privileged to visualize her, as she walked along the narrow path with -the freedom and grace of a young goddess, or one of Diana's lithe forest -attendants. The vision, at length, stopped at the verge of a terrace -where stood an Italian-looking little summer-house, or shelter. No one -was in it, and she entered. They wouldn't be disturbed here. - -She leaned on a marble balustrade and for a moment looked down upon the -shadowy tree-tops. The moonlight glinted a rounded white arm. Bob -breathed deep. It was a spot for lovers. But there was still no -love-light in Miss Gerald's eyes. They met the gaze of Bob, who hadn't -yet come out of that paradoxical trance, with cold contemplation. - -"Do you know what people are beginning to say about you, Mr. Bennett?" -began the vision, with considerable decision in her tones. - -"No," said Bob. - -"Some of them are wondering--well, if you are mentally quite all right." - -"Are they?" It was more the silvery sound of her voice than what people -were saying that interested Bob. - -"The judge and Mrs. Vanderpool have agreed that you aren't. People are a -little divided in the matter." - -"Indeed?" observed Bob. Of course if people were "divided," that would -make it more interesting for them. Give them something to talk about! - -"The doctor agrees with the judge and Mrs. Vanderpool, but the bishop -seems inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt," went on Miss -Gerald, her silvery tones as tranquil and cold as moonlight on the still -surface of an inland sea. "He said something about inherited -eccentricities, probably just beginning to crop out. Or suggested it -might be--well, a pose." - -"Very nice of the bishop!" muttered Bob. "Benefit of the doubt? Quite -so! Fine old chap!" - -"Is that all you have to say?" said Miss Gerald, a faint note of scorn -in her voice now. As she spoke she leaned slightly toward him. The -moonlight touched the golden hair. - -"Maybe he felt he had to differ," remarked Bob, intent on the golden -hair (it wasn't golden out here, of course) and the stars beyond. "He -might not really differ at heart, but he had to seem broad and -charitable. Ecclesiastical obligation, or habit, don't you see!" - -"I don't quite see," said the girl, though her bright eyes looked -capable of seeing a great deal. - -"No?" murmured Bob. Some of that paradoxical happiness seemed to be -fading from him. He couldn't hold it; it seemed as elusive as moonshine. -If only she would stand there silently and let him continue to worship -her, like that devout lover in the song--in "distant reverence." It -wasn't surely quite consistent for a goddess to be so practical and -matter-of-fact. - -"There are others who agree with the doctor and the judge and Mrs. -Vanderpool," continued the girl. - -"You mean about my having a screw loose?" - -"Exactly." Crisply. "And some of them have consulted me." - -"And what did you say?" Quickly. - -"I'm afraid I couldn't enlighten them. I believe I suggested that sun -theory--although it really wasn't blistering hot to-day, and you," with -inimitable irony, "look capable of standing a little sunshine." - -"Yes, I feel as if I could stand a whole lot," said Bob gloomily. - -"Also I said," unmindful of this last remark, "there is sometimes a -method in eccentricity, or madness. Lord Stanfield agreed with me. He -said he found you an 'interesting young man.'" - -"Did he? Confound his impudence!" That monocle-man certainly did ruffle -Bob. - -"You forget he's an old friend of my aunt's." Severely. "As I was -saying, Lord Stanfield found you 'interesting,' and we agreed there -might be a method," studying him closely, "but when we came to search -for one, we couldn't find it." - -She didn't ask a question, so he didn't have to reply. - -"Mr. Bennett, why did you answer me like that down in the village?" - -Bob hung his head. He felt worse than a boy detected stealing apples. -"Had to," he muttered desperately. - -"Why?" There was no mercy in that still pitiless voice. - -Bob took another long breath. "Please don't ask me," he pleaded after an -ominous pause. That wasn't not telling the truth; it was only -temporizing. - -The violet eyes gleamed dangerously. "I'm just a little bit curious," -said the girl in the same annihilating tone. "In the light of subsequent -proceedings, you will understand! And as Mrs. Ralston's niece! Aunt -doesn't quite realize things yet. The others have spared her feelings. I -haven't, of course, gone to her. Aunt and I never 'talk over' our -guests." Proudly. - -That made Bob wince. He looked at her with quite helpless eyes. "Maybe -she will order me off the premises before long," he said eagerly. "I -have already been considering the possibility of it. Believe me," -earnestly, "it would be the best way. Can't you see -I'm--dangerous--positively dangerous? I'm worse than a socialist--an -anarchist! Why, a Russian nihilist couldn't make half the trouble in the -world that I can. I'm a regular walking disturber. Disaster follows in -my path." Bitterly. "Some people look upon me as worse than the black -plague. Now if your aunt would only turn me out? You see I can't go -unless she does. Got to think of that even-tenor-of-my-way! But if she -would only quietly intimate--or set the dog on me--" - -The girl gazed at him more steadily. "I wonder if the judge and the -doctor and Mrs. Vanderpool aren't right, after all?" she observed -slowly. "Let me look in your eyes, Mr. Bennett." Bob did. Miss Gerald -had heard that one could always tell crazy people by their eyes. She -intended to sift this matter to the bottom and therefore proceeded with -characteristic directness. Folk that were--well, "off," she had been -told, invariably showed that they were that, by a peculiar glitter. - -Miss Gerald gazed a few moments critically, steadily and with unswerving -intention. Bob withstood that look with mingled wretchedness and -rapture. He began to forget that they were just the eyes of a would-be -expert on a mental matter, and his own eyes, looking deeper and deeper -in those wonderful violet depths (he stood so she got the benefit of the -moonlight) began to gleam with that old, old gleam Miss Gerald could -remember in the past. Bob had never _talked_ love in those blissful days -of yore, but he had looked it. - -"I don't see any signs of insanity," said the girl at length with cold -assurance. That gleam wasn't a glitter. Nothing crazy about it! She had -seen it too often in other men's eyes, as well as in Bob's--not perhaps -to such a marked degree in other men's eyes,-but sufficiently so that -she was fairly familiar with it. "You look normal enough to me." - -"Thank you," said Bob gratefully. - -"And that's just why"--a slight frown on the smooth fine brow--"I don't -understand. Of course, a man not normal, might have answered as you did -me (I'm not thinking of it as a personal matter, you will understand)." - -"Oh, I understand that," returned Bob. "I'm just a problem, not a -person." She made him quite realize that. She made it perfectly and -unmistakably apparent that he was, unto her, as some example in -trigonometry, or geometry, or algebra, and she wanted to find the -"solution." He was an "X"--the unknown quantity. The expression on her -patrician features was entirely scholastic and calculating. Bob now felt -the ardor of his gaze becoming cold as moonlight. This wasn't a lovers' -bower; it was only a _palestra_, or an observatory. - -"You haven't answered me yet," she said. - -No diverting her from her purpose! She was certainly persistent. - -"You insist I shall tell you why I didn't want to see you?" - -She looked at him quickly. "That isn't what I asked, Mr. Bennett. I -asked you to explain that remark in the village." - -"Same thing!" he murmured. "And it's rather hard to explain, but if I've -got to--?" He looked at her. On her face was the look of proud -unyielding insistence. "Of course, I've got to tell you the truth," said -Bob, and his tone now was dead and dull. "In the first place, dad's -busted, clean down and out, and--well, I thought I wouldn't see you any -more." - -"I fail to see the connection." Her tones were as metallic as a voice -like hers could make them. - -"It's like this!" said Bob, ruffling his hair. Here was a fine romantic -way to make an avowal. "You see I was in love with you," he observed, -looking the other way and addressing one of the furthermost stars of the -heaven. "And--and--when a fellow's in love--and he can't--ah!--well, you -know--ask the girl--you understand?" - -"Very vaguely," said Miss Gerald. Bob's explanation, so far, was one of -those explanations that didn't explain. If he had so heroically made up -his mind not to see her, he could have stayed away, of course, from the -Ralston house. He couldn't explain how he was bound to accept the -invitation to come, on account of being in "honor bound" to that -confounded commodore, et al., to do so. There were bound to be loose -ends to his explanation. Besides, those other awfully unpleasant things -that had happened? He had to tell the truth, but he couldn't tell why he -was telling the truth. That had been the understanding. - -Miss Gerald, at this point, began to display some of those alert and -analytical qualities of mind that had made her father one of the great -railroad men of his day. For an instant she had turned her head slightly -at Bob's avowal--who shall say why? It may be she had felt the blood -rush swiftly to her face, but if so a moment later she looked at him -with that same icy calm. One hand had tightened on the cold balustrade, -but Bob hadn't noticed that. She plied him now with a number of -questions. She kept him on the gridiron and while he wriggled and -twisted she stirred up the coals, displaying all the ability of an -expert stoker. He was supersensitive about seeing her and yet as a free -agent (she thought him that) he _had_ seen her. From her point of view, -his mental processes were hopelessly illogical--worse than that. Yet she -knew he was possessed of a tolerable mentality and a good-enough -judgment for one who had in his composition a slight touch of -recklessness. - -"I give it up," she said at length wearily. - -"Do you? Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Bob gratefully. "And if your aunt -orders me from the place--" - -"But why can't you just go, if you want to? I'm sure no one will detain -you." Haughtily. - -"Can't explain, only it's impossible. Like Prometheus bound to the rock -for vultures to peck at, unless--" - -"How intelligible! And what a happy simile--under the circumstances!" -with far-reaching scorn. "What if I should tell my aunt that her guest -compared himself to--?" - -"That's the idea!" returned Bob enthusiastically. "Tell her that! Then, -by jove, she would--Promise me! Please!" - -"Of course," said the girl slowly, "my diagnosis must be wrong." Or -perhaps she meant that she had lost faith in that glitter-theory. - -"If you only _could_ understand!" burst from Bob explosively. It was -nature calling out, protesting against such a weight of anguish. - -But Miss Gerald did not respond. A statue could not have appeared more -unaffected and unsympathetic. She had half turned as if to go; then she -changed her mind and lingered. It annoyed her to feel she had been -baffled, for she was a young woman who liked to drive right to the heart -of things. Her father had been called a "czar" in his world, and she had -inherited, with other of his traits, certain imperious qualities. So for -a moment or two she stood thinking. - -An automobile from the village went by them and proceeded to the house. -It contained Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence returning from the telegraph -office, but Bob hardly saw it, or was aware who were its occupants. Miss -Gerald absorbed him to the exclusion of all else now. He had no mind for -other storms that might be gathering. Suddenly the girl turned on him -with abrupt swiftness. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII--NEW COMPLICATIONS - - -"Is your father's embarrassment serious?" she asked. - -Bob looked startled. He didn't like the way she had shifted the -conversation. "Pretty bad," he answered. - -"I believe, though, it's customary for men on the 'street' not to stay -'downed,' as they say?" - -"Don't know as it's an invariable rule," returned Bob evasively. Then -realizing it wouldn't do to be evasive: "As a matter of fact, I don't -believe I'm very well posted as to that," he added. - -"What does your father say?" she asked abruptly. - -Bob would much rather not have talked about that with her. But--"Dad -says there is no hope," he had to say. - -Miss Gerald was silent for a moment. As a child she remembered a very -gloomy period in her own father's career--when the "street" had him -"cornered." She remembered the funereal atmosphere of the big old -house--the depression on nearly every one's face--how everything had -seemed permeated with impending tragedy. She remembered how her father -looked at her, a great gloomy ghost of himself with somber burning eyes. -She remembered how seared and seamed his strong and massive face had -become in but a few days. But that was long ago and he had long since -left her for good. The vivid impression, however, of that gloomy period -during her childhood remained with her. It had always haunted her, -though her father had not been "downed" in the end. He had emerged from -the storm stronger than ever. - -The girl shot a sidewise look at Bob, standing now with his arms folded -like Hamlet. Perhaps he had come from such a funereal house as she, -herself, so well remembered? Had dad's trouble, or tragedy, weighed on -him unduly? Had it made him--for the moment--just slightly -irresponsible? Miss Gerald, as has been intimated, had frankly liked Bob -as an outdoor companion, or an indoor one, too, sometimes, for that -matter. He was one of the few men, for example, she would "trot" with. -He could "trot" in an eminently respectful manner, being possessed of an -innate refinement, or chivalry, which certainly seemed good to her, -after some of those other wild Terpsichorean performances of myriad -masculine manikins in the mad world of Milliondom. - -"I suppose your father has taken his trouble much to heart?" Miss Gerald -now observed. - -"Not a bit." - -"No?" In surprise. - -"No." - -"Why not?" - -"Said he looked to me to keep him in affluence the rest of his days." - -"To you?" - -"That's right." - -"But how?--What are you going to do?" - -"Hustle." - -"At what?" - -"Don't know. Got to find out." - -"What did you plan doing, when at college?" - -"Nothing." - -"Is it"--Miss Gerald got back to where she had been before--"the sense -of awful responsibility," with slight sarcasm, "that has turned your -brain?" - -"I'm not crazy." - -"No?" She remembered that most people in asylums say that. - -"Though I may be in a matter of three weeks," Bob added, more to himself -than to her. - -"Why three weeks?" - -"Well, if I don't--just shouldn't happen to go crazy during that time, -I'll be all right, after that." - -"Why do you allow a specified period for your mental deterioration?" - -"_I_ didn't allow it." - -"Who did?" - -"Can't tell you." - -Miss Gerald pondered on this answer. It would seem as if Bob had -"hallucinations," if nothing worse. He was possessed of the idea, no -doubt, that he would go crazy within three weeks. He didn't realize that -the "deterioration," she referred to, might have already begun. He -looked normal enough, though, had the most normal-looking eyes. Could it -be that he was acting? And if he was acting, why was he? That seemed -incomprehensible. Anyhow, it couldn't be a sense of responsibility that -had "upset" Bob. She became sure of that now. He played a losing game -with too much dash and brilliancy! Hadn't she seen him at polo--hadn't -she held her breath and thrilled when he had "sailed in" and with -irresistible vim snatched victory out of defeat? No; Bob wasn't a -"quitter." - -"So your father looks to you to support him?" - -"So he said. The governor's a bit of a joker though, you know. He may be -only putting up a bluff to try me out." - -"What did he advise you to do?" - -Bob shivered. "Matrimonial market." - -"You mean--?" - -"Heiress." Succinctly. - -"Any particular one?" - -"Dad did mention a name." - -"Not--?" She looked at him. - -"Yes." - -An awful pause. - -"Now you know why I didn't want to see you," said Bob, in that even -fatalistic voice. "First place, I wouldn't ask you to marry me, if you -were the last girl in the world! Second place, I was afraid if I saw -you, some of these things dad said to try me, would be bound to pop out. -You mustn't think badly of dad, Miss Gerald. As I've said, he didn't -mean a word of it. He was only sizing me up. Don't I know that twinkle -in his eye? Just wanted to see if I'm as lazy and good-for-nothing as -some chaps brought up with the silver spoon. Why, he'd--honestly, dad -would just kick me, if I took his advice. Why, if I went back home -to-morrow," went on Bob, warming to the subject, "and told him we were -engaged"--the girl moved slightly--"and were going to be married right -off"--the girl moved again--"why--why, old as I am, dad would take off -his coat and give me a good trouncing. That's the kind of a man dad is. -I see it all now." - -He really believed he did--and for the first time. He felt he had solved -the mystery of dad's manner and conduct. It _had_ been a mystery, but -the solution had come to him like an inspiration. Dad wanted to see -whether he would arise to the occasion. He had told him he didn't -believe he was worth his salt just to see his backbone stiffen. He had -alluded to that other way of repairing the "busted family credit" just -to observe the effect on Bob. And how dad must have chuckled inwardly at -Bob's response! Why, they'd almost had a scene, he and good old dad. Bob -could smile at it now--if he could smile at anything. He certainly had -been a numskull. Dad, pulling in fish somewhere, was probably still -chuckling to himself, and wondering how Bob would work out the problem. - -"Dad was always just like that when I was a boy," he confided to Miss -Gerald, now standing more than ever like a marble lady in the moonlight. -"He would propose the contrariest things! Always trying and testing me. -Guess that's why he acted so happy when he went broke. Thought it would -make a man of me! By jove, that's it! Why, he was as care-free as a boy -with a new top!" - -"Was he, indeed?" said Miss Gerald, studying Mr. Robert Bennett with -eyes that looked very deep now, beneath the imperious brows. "How nice!" -Oh, that tone was distant. It might have been wafted from one who stood -on an iceberg. - -"Isn't it?" Bob heaved a sigh. "I'm not afraid of you any more," he -said, "now that I've got that off my chest." - -Again Miss Gerald shivered slightly, but whether at the slang or not, -was not apparent. - -"You can't frighten me any more," said Bob. - -"But why," said Miss Gerald, "did you tell me, at all, of dad's--as you -call him--charming suggestion?" - -"Had to. Didn't you ask me?" In faint surprise. Then he remembered she -didn't know he _had_ to tell the truth. That made him look rather -foolish--or "imbecile," in the light of all those other proceedings. -Miss Gerald's brow contracted once more. Again she might be asking -herself if Master Robert was acting? Was this but gigantic, bombastic, -Quixotic "posing" after all? It was too extraordinary to speak of such -things as he had spoken of, to her! Did he only want to appear -different? Did he seek to combine Apollo with Bernard Shaw in his -attitude toward society? Or had he been reading Chesterton and was he -but striving to present in his own personality a futurist's effect of -upside-downness? Miss Gerald felt now the way she had at the modernists' -exhibition, when she had gazed and gazed at what was apparently a load -of wood falling down-stairs, and some one had told her to find the lady. -It was about as difficult to-night to find the real Mr. Bennett--the -happy-go-lucky Bob Bennett of last month or last week--as it had been to -find that lady where appeared only chaotic kindling wood. - -Miss Gerald let the cool air fan her brow for a few moments. This young -man was, at least, exhilarating. She felt a little dizzy. Meanwhile Bob -looked at her with that sad silly smile. - -"You can't ask me any questions that will disconcert me now," he -boasted. - -Miss Gerald looked at him squarely. "Will you marry me?" she said. - -It was a coup. Her father had been capable of just such coups as that. -He would hit the enemy in the most unexpected manner in the most -unexpected quarter, and thus overwhelm his foes. Miss Gerald might not -mean it; she, most likely, only said it. Under the circumstances, to get -at the truth herself, she was justified in saying almost anything. If he -were but posing, she would prick the bubble of his pretense. If those -grandiloquent, and, to her, totally unnecessary protestations didn't -mean anything, she wished to know it. He would never, never marry -her,--wouldn't he? Or, possibly, her question was but part of a plan, or -general campaign, on her part, to test his sanity? Six persons--real -competents, too!--had affirmed that he wasn't "just right." Be that as -it may, Miss Gerald dropped this bomb in Master Bob's camp and waited -the effect with mien serene. - -Her query worked the expected havoc, all right. Bob's jaw fell. Then his -eyes began to flash with a new fierce love-light. He couldn't help it. -Marry her?--Great Scott!--She, asking him, if he would? He felt his -pulses beating faster and the blood pumping in his veins. His arms went -out--very eager, strong, primitive arms they looked--that cave-man kind! -Arms that seize resistless maidens and enfold them, willy-nilly! Miss -Gerald really should have felt much alarmed, especially as there was so -much doubt as to Bob's sanity. It's bad enough to be alone with an -ordinary crazy man, but a crazy man who is in love with one? That is -calculated to be a rather unusual and thrilling experience. - -However, though Miss Gerald may have entertained a few secret fears and -possible regrets for her own somewhat mad precipitancy, she managed to -maintain a fair semblance of composure. She had the courage to "stand -by" the coup. She was like a tall lily that seems to hold itself -unafraid before the breaking of the tempest. She did not even draw back, -though she threw her head back slightly. And in her eyes was a -challenge. Not a love challenge, though Bob could not discern that! His -own gaze was too blurred. - -Miss Gerald suddenly drew in her breath quickly, as one who felt she -would need her courage now. Almost had Bob, in that moment of -forgetfulness, drawn her into his arms and so completed the paradoxical -picture of himself, when the impulse was abruptly arrested. He seemed -suddenly to awaken to a saner comprehension of the requirements of the -moment. His arms fell to his side. - -"That's a joke, of course," he said hoarsely. - -"And if it wasn't?" she challenged him. There was mockery now in her -eyes, and her figure had relaxed. - -"You affirm it isn't?" - -"I said _if_ it wasn't?" - -"I guess you win," said Bob wearily. These extremes of emotion were -wearing on the system. - -"You mean you wouldn't, even if I had really, actually--?" - -"I mean you certainly do know how to 'even up' with a chap. When he -doesn't dare dream of heaven, you suddenly pretend to fling open the -golden gates and invite him to enter." - -"Like St. Peter," said the girl. - -"Ah, you _are_ laughing," said Bob bitterly, and dropped his head. Her -assurance was regal. "As if it wasn't hard enough, anyway, to get you -out of my darn-fool head," he murmured reproachfully. - -"Then you reject me?" said the girl, moving toward the entrance. "Good! -I mean, bad! So humiliating to have been rejected! Good night, Mr. -Bennett. No--it isn't necessary for you to accompany me to the house. I -really couldn't think of troubling you after your unkind refusal to--" - -Bob groaned. "I say, there is always your aunt, you know, who can ask me -to vacate the--" he called out. - -"I'll think about it," said the lady. A faint perfume was wafted past -him and the vision vanished. Bob sank down on the cold marble seat. - - * * * * * - -He remained thus for some time, oblivious to the world, when another -car, en route from the village to the house, purred past him, spitting -viciously, however, between purrs. Bob didn't even look around. -Spit!--spit!--purr!--purr!--Its two lights were like the eyes of some -monster pussy-cat, on the war-path for trouble. Spit!--it seemed in a -horribly vicious mood. More "spits" than "purrs," now! Then the car -stopped, though it was some distance from the house. - -"Curse this old rattletrap!" said a man's voice. - -"Oh, I guess no one'll pay any attention to it," spoke another occupant. -"Besides, it was the only one to be had at the station, and we had to -get here quick." - -"You bet! The quicker, the better," observed a third man. - -They all got out, not far from where Bob sat in the dark gazing into a -void, but he did not notice. Cars might come, and cars might go, for all -of him. He was dimly aware of the sound of voices but he had no interest -in guests, newly-arrived or otherwise. One of the trio paid the driver -of the car and it purred back, somewhat less viciously, from whence it -came. - -"Better separate when we get near the house and approach it carefully," -said the first speaker in low tense tones. "We've got to get hold of him -without anybody knowing it." - -"That's right. Wouldn't do to let _them_"--with significant -accent--"know what we've come for," said the second man. The trio were -quite out of ear-shot of Bob, by now. - -"Hope it'll turn out all right," spoke the third anxiously. "Why, in -heaven's name, didn't we think of this in the first place?" - -"Can't think of every contingency!" answered the first speaker -viciously. "Our plan now is to get hold of one of the servants. A nice -fat tip, and then--Come on! No time to waste!" - -As they made their way up the driveway to the house Bob looked drearily -around. His eyes noted and mechanically followed the trio of dark forms. -He saw them stop near the house; then he observed one approach a side -window and peer in. A moment later another approached another window and -peered in. - -"That's funny!" thought Bob, without any particular emotion. At the same -time, he recalled that a band of burglars had been going about, looting -country-houses. Perhaps these fellows were after a few hundred thousand -dollars' worth of jewels? There might be half a million dollars' worth -of jewelry sprinkled about among Mrs. Ralston's guests. But what did it -matter? The presence of these intruders seemed too trifling a matter to -think about now, and Bob sank into another reverie. - -How long he remained thus, he did not know. The laughter and talk of a -number of guests, coming out the front way (end of a "trot," probably) -aroused him and Bob got up. - -As he did so, he fancied he saw again the three men he had noticed, then -forgotten, slip around toward the back of the house. Throughout the -gardens, the moonlight made clear spots on the ground where the bright -rays sifted through the foliage or shone down between the trees, and -they had to skip across one of these bright places to get around -somewhere behind the big mansion. Undoubtedly, the appearance from the -house of the guests who wanted to cool off had startled the intruders -and inspired a desire to make themselves less conspicuous for the time -being. Bob entertained a vague impression that the conduct of the trio -was rather crude and amateurish, though that didn't worry him. He didn't -care whether they were full-fledged yeggmen of the smoothest class, or -only bungling artists, a discredit to their profession. He dismissed -consideration of them as quickly again as he had done before. - -A yawn escaped his lips, and it rather surprised him that a -broken-hearted man could yawn. He looked at his watch, holding it in the -moonlight, and saw that it was late enough now so that he could retire -if he wished, without violating, to any great degree, that -even-tenor-of-his-way clause. Accordingly Bob got up and walked toward -the house. A side door was open and he went in that way and up to his -room. He was glad he didn't encounter any one--that is, any one he had -to speak to. The monocle-man drifted by him somewhere, but Bob didn't -have to pay much attention to him. He could imagine the superior way in -which the Britisher had informed Miss Gerald that he found him (Bob) an -"interesting young man." The monocle-man and the bishop seemed to agree -on that point. - -Undressing hastily, Bob flung himself into bed. He had gone through so -much he was tired and scarcely had he touched the sheets when the -welcoming arms of Morpheus claimed him. His sleep was sound--very sound! -In fact, it was so sound that something occurred and he didn't know it. -It occurred again--several times--and still he did not know it. Another -interval!--a long one! Bob yet slept the sleep of the overwrought. His -fagged brain was trying to readjust itself. He could have slept right -through to the dawn, but this was not to be. Long before the glowing god -made its appearance in the east, Bob was rudely yanked from the arms of -Morpheus. - - - - - CHAPTER IX--ANOTHER SURPRISE - - -Three men were in his room and Bob found himself sitting up in bed and -blinking at them. The lights they had turned on seemed rather bright. - -"Hello!" said Bob. - -"Hello yourself!" said the commodore in a low but nasty manner. "And not -so loud!" - -"Some sleeper, you are!" spoke Dickie in a savage whisper. - -"Believe he heard, all right!" came Clarence's hushed, unamiable tones. -"Perverse beast, and pretended not to!" - -Bob hugged his knees with his arms. "You've torn your pants," he -observed to the commodore. - -"Never you mind _that_" as guardedly, though no more pleasantly than -before. - -"Oh, all right," said Bob meekly. He didn't ask any questions, nor did -he exhibit any curiosity. There couldn't anything happen now that would -make matters much worse. But in that, he was "reckoning without his -host." - -"Got in the window, of course," he observed in a low unconcerned tone, -as if their coming and being there after midnight was the most natural -occurrence in the world. "Not so hard to get in, with that balcony out -there. All you had to do was to 'shin up' and then there's that trellis -to help. Good strong trellis, too. Regular Jacob's ladder! Easiest thing -for burglars! Thought you _were_ burglars," he added contemplatively. - -"You mean you saw us?" snapped the commodore, almost forgetting his -caution. His expression matched his tone. He was no longer the jovial -sailorman; he wore now a regular Dick Deadeye look. To Bob's -comprehensive glance he appeared like a fragment in a revival of -_Pinafore_. - -"Oh, I didn't know it was you," said Bob. - -"Where were you?" - -"Summer-house." - -"Think of that," murmured the commodore, disgustedly. "Bird at hand, and -we didn't know it. Fool of a bird had to hop away and make us all this -trouble!" - -"I told you I thought you were burglars," observed Bob patiently. He -didn't care how they abused him or what names they called him. - -That disagreeable look on Dan's face was replaced by a startled one. -"Good gracious, man"--only that wasn't the expression he used--"I hope -you haven't told any one you saw burglars prowling around? Nice for us -if you did!" As he spoke he gazed anxiously toward the window, before -which they had taken the precaution to draw a heavy drape after -entering. - -"No, I didn't tell a soul." - -"But--I don't understand why you didn't when you thought--?" - -"I ought to have spoken, I suppose," said Bob with a melancholy smile. -"But it didn't seem very important and--I guess I forgot. These little -jewel robberies are getting to be such commonplace occurrences!" - -The commodore stared at him. Then he touched his forehead. "A lot of -trouble you've made for us," he said, speaking in that low tense voice, -while Clarence and Dickie looked on in mad and reproachful fashion. -"Bribed a servant to tell you to slip out! Told him to whisper that we -were waiting in the garden and simply had to see you at once! Didn't you -hear him rap on your door?" - -"No," answered Bob sorrowfully. - -"Heavens, man! believe you'd sleep through an earthquake and cyclone -combined! Servant came back and told us he'd tapped on your door as -loudly as he dared. Was afraid he'd arouse the whole house if he knocked -louder. When you leave a 'call' at the hotels, how do they manage? Break -down the door with an ax?" - -Bob overlooked the sarcasm. The commodore might have thumped him with an -ax, at the moment, and he wouldn't have protested very hard. He murmured -a contrite apology. - -"Get my telegram?" said the commodore. - -"Yes. What _could_ you have been thinking about when you sent it? How -could I leave when I had to stay? Thought you must have been sailing -pretty close in the wind at the yacht club, when you dashed it off! -Could just feel your main-sail fluttering." - -The commodore swore softly but effectively. Clarence and Dickie murmured -something, too. Bob hugged his knees closer. Being so unhappy himself, -he couldn't but feel a dull sympathy when he saw any one else put out. - -"See here," said the commodore, "what's the situation? We never dreamed, -of course, that you would come here. Have you been talking with Mrs. Dan -and Mrs. Clarence? Dickie's been conjuring all kinds of awful things you -might have told them, if they cornered you and you got that -truth-telling stunt going. Dickie's got an imagination. Too confounded -much imagination!" Here the commodore wiped his brow. That was quite a -bad tear in his pants but he appeared oblivious to it. "Maybe you would -have thought it a capital way to turn the tables on us poor chaps?" he -went on, stabbing Bob with a baleful look. "Perhaps you came here on -purpose?" - -"No," said Bob, "I couldn't have done that, of course, owing to the -conditions." And he related what had happened to bring him there. - -Dan groaned. "Why, it was we, ourselves, who steered him right up -against her at the Waldorf. It was we who got him asked down here. I -suppose you've been chuckling ever since you came?" Turning on Bob, with -a correct imitation of Mr. Deadeye, at his grouchiest moment. - -"No," said Bob, speaking to immeasurable distance, "I haven't done any -chuckling since I came here. Nary a chuckle!" - -"Let's get down to brass tacks," interrupted Dickie, "and learn if our -worst apprehensions are realized. There's a girl down here I think a lot -of and I'd like to know if, by any chance, any conversation you may have -had with her turned on me. I allude to Miss Dolly--" - -"Hold on," said the commodore. "That's not very important. Suppose she -should have found out a few things about you? You aren't married. It's -different in the case of married men, like Clarence and me here. We'll -dismiss Miss Dolly, if you please, for the present--" - -"I really haven't said anything to Miss Dolly about you," said Bob to -Dickie. "Your name hasn't been mentioned between us." He was glad he -could reassure one of them, at least. He wouldn't have had Dickie so -sorrowful as himself for the world. - -That young man looked immensely relieved. It may be he experienced new -hope of leading the temperamental young thing to the altar, and -incidentally consummating a consolidation of competing chimneys, -conveniently contiguous. "Thanks, old chap," he said, and shook Bob's -hand heartily. - -"But what about us?" whispered the commodore sibilantly. "Have you -talked with Mrs. Clarence or Mrs. Dan to any great extent?" - -"I haven't had hardly a word with Mrs. Clarence," answered Bob, -whereupon Clarence began to "throw out his chest," the way Dickie had -done. - -The commodore shifted uneasily, seeming to find difficulty in continuing -the conversation. He moved back and forth once or twice, but realizing -he was making a slight noise, stood still again, and looked down at Bob. - -"Talk much with Mrs. Dan?" he at length asked nervously. - -"I did have a little conversation with Mrs. Dan," Bob was forced to -reply. "Or, I should say, to be strictly truthful, rather a long -conversation. You see, I took her in to dinner." - -The commodore showed signs of weakness. He seemed to have very -indecisive legs all of a sudden. "Talk about me?" he managed to -ejaculate. - -"Some. I'm not certain just how much." - -"What--what was said?" - -"I can't remember all. It's very confused. I've had a lot of -conversations, you see, and most of them awfully unpleasant. I remember, -though, that Mrs. Dan impressed me as a very broad-minded lady. Said she -had lived in Paris, and was not a bit jealous." - -"What!" Dan was breathing hard. - -"Said she always wanted you to have the best kind of a time." - -"Did she say that?" asked the commodore. "And you believed it? Go on." -In a choked voice. "Did you tell her about that cabaret evening?" - -"I believe it was mentioned, incidentally." - -"Say _I_ was there?" put in Clarence quickly. He was losing that -"chestiness." - -"I rather think I did. I--what is that?" Bob looked toward the window. -There was a sound below at the foot of the balcony. Some one turned out -the light in the room and Bob strode to the window and looked out. "It's -a dog," he said. "He's snuffing around at the foot." - -"He's doing more than snuffing," observed the commodore apprehensively, -as at that moment a bark smote the air. They stood motionless and -silent. The dog stopped barking, but went on snuffing. Maybe it would go -away after a moment, and they waited. Dickie and the commodore had -thrashed out that question of dogs. With so many guests around, they had -figured that, of course, they would be dog-safe. Didn't they look like -guests? How could a dog tell the difference between them and a guest? It -is true, they hadn't been expecting so much trouble as they had been put -to, to find Bob. They had, in that little balcony-climbing feat, rather -exceeded what they had expected to be called on to do. In their -impatience, they had acted somewhat impetuously, but it had looked just -as easy, after the servant had pointed out the room and told them Bob -was in, as certain sounds from his bed indubitably indicated. - -They couldn't very well enter the house as self-invited guests, though -they, of course, would have been made welcome. They couldn't very well -say they had all changed their minds about those original invitations -which had naturally included husbands as well as wives. After all three -had declined to come on account of business, it would certainly look -like collusion, if all three found they hadn't had urgent business, at -all, in town. If anything untoward or disastrous had happened in the -conversational line, with Bob as the Demon God, Truth, their sudden -entrance upon the stage of festivities, would seem to partake of inner -perturbation; it might even appear to be a united and concentrated case -of triple guilty conscience. This, obviously, must be avoided at any -cost. How they had heard Bob was here at the Ralston house, matters not. -Naturally they had kept tab on his movements, where he went and what he -did being of some moment to them. - -The dog barked again. Thereupon, a window opened and they knew that some -one had been aroused. - -"He's looking out. It's the monocle-chap," whispered Bob. - -"Who's he?" - -"One of Mrs. Ralston's importations. Belonged to that Anglo-English -colony when she did that little emigration act in dear old London." - -"Hang it, we've got to get out," whispered the commodore nervously. No -matter what had been said; no matter what the Demon God of Truth had -done, it was incumbent on them not to remain longer, with that dog -looking up toward Bob's window and making that spasmodic racket. Some -one might get up and go out and see footprints, or a disturbed trellis. -The commodore forgot a certain desperate business proposition, apropos -of that confounded wager, he had come to put to Bob. That infernal dog -got on his nerves and put that other matter, which would settle this -truth-telling stunt at once, right out of his mind. - -It was all very well, however, to say they "had to get out," but it was -another matter to tell how they were going to do it. They couldn't -descend the way they had come, and meet doggie. Bob arose to the -occasion. - -"I can let you into the hall and show you downstairs, to that side door -on the other side of the house. You can take one of my golf sticks, just -as a safeguard, but I think you'll be able to circumvent the jolly -little barker without being obliged to use it." - -"What kind of a dog is it?" whispered the commodore who had a pronounced -aversion to canines. - -"Looked like a smallish dog. Might be a bull." - -"Better give us each a club," suggested Clarence in a weak voice. - -Which Bob did. The dog renewed the vocal performance, and-- "Hurry," -whispered the commodore. "Find means to communicate with you to-morrow, -Mr. Bennett." Bob didn't resent the formality of this designation, which -implied to what depths he had fallen in good old Dan's estimation. "Can -we get down-stairs without any one hearing us?" - -Bob thought they could. Anyhow, they would have to try, so he opened the -door softly and led the way. Fortunately, the house was solidly built -and not creaky. They attained down-stairs safely, and at last reached -the side door without causing any disturbance. Bob unfastened the door, -the key turned noiselessly and they looked out. There was no sign of any -living thing on lawn or garden on this side of the house. - -"Out you go quickly," murmured Bob, glancing apprehensively over his -shoulder. His position was not a particularly agreeable one. Suppose one -of the servants, on an investigating tour as to the cause of doggie's -perturbation, should chance upon him (Bob) showing three men out of the -house in that secret manner at this time of night? - -But before disappearing into the night, the commodore took time to -whisper: "Was Gee-gee's name mentioned?" - -"I fear so," said Bob sadly. - -The commodore wasted another second or two to tell Bob fiercely what he -thought of him and how they would "fix" him on the morrow, after which -he sprang out and darted away like a rabbit. - -Bob wanted to call out that they were welcome to "fix" him, but he was -afraid that others beside Dan might hear him, so he closed and locked -the door carefully and stood there alone in the great hall, in his -dressing-gown. Then he sat down in a dark corner and listened. Better -wait until all was quiet, he told himself, before retracing his steps to -his room. The dog seemed to have stopped barking altogether now and soon -any persons it might have awakened would be asleep again. His trio of -visitors must be well on their way to the village by this time, he -thought. He was sorry the commodore seemed to feel so bad. And -Clarence?--poor Clarence! That last look of his haunted Bob. Anyhow, he -was pleased Dickie had, so far, escaped his (Bob's) devastating touch. - -How long he sat there he did not know. Probably only a few moments. A -big clock ticked near by, which was the only sound now to be heard. -Suddenly it occurred to him that he had better return to his room, and -wearily he arose. Up-stairs it seemed darker than it had been when he -had left his room. He had the dim lights in the great hall below to -guide him then. Now it was a little more difficult. However, after -traversing without mishap a few gloomy corridors--he realized what a big -house it really was--he reached, at last, his room near the end of one -of the upper halls and entered. - -He had a vague idea he had left his door partly ajar, but he wasn't -sure; probably he hadn't, for it was now closed; or maybe a draft of air -had closed it. Groping his way in the dark for his bed, he ran against a -chair. This ruffled his temper somewhat as the sharp edge had come in -contact with that sensitive part of the anatomy, known as the shin-bone. -He felt for his bed, but it wasn't there where it ought to be. He must -have got turned around coming in. His fingers ran over a dresser. Some -of the articles on it seemed strange to him. He thought he heard a -rustle and stood still, with senses alert, experiencing a regular -burglar-feeling at the moment. He hadn't become so ossified to emotion -as he had supposed. But everything was now as silent as the grave. Again -his hand swept out, to learn where he was, and again his fingers swept -over the dresser. What were all those confounded things? He didn't know -he had left so much loose junk lying around. And where was that -confounded switch-button? - -At that moment some one else found it, for the room became suddenly -flooded with light. Bob started back, and as he did so, something fell -from the dresser to the floor. He stared toward the bed in amazement and -horror. Some one, with the clothes drawn up about her, was sitting up. -Bob wasn't the only one who had a surprise that night. The -temperamental, little dark thing was treated to one, too. Above the -white counterpane, she stared at Bob. - - - - - CHAPTER X--INTO BONDAGE - - -She continued to stare for some moments, while he stood frozen to the -spot. Then the young lady's face changed. Fear, startled wonder, gave -way to an expression of growing comprehension and into her eyes came -such an excited look. - -"You!" said Miss Dolly in a thrilling whisper. And then--"Pick it up, -please." - -Instead of picking anything up--he didn't know what--Bob was about to -rush for the door, when-- "Stop! Or I'll scream," exclaimed Miss Dolly. -"I'll scream so loud I'll wake every one in the house." - -Bob stopped. In his eyes was an agony of contrition and shame. Miss -Dolly, however, seemed quite self-possessed. She might have been -frightened at first, but she was no longer that. Her temperamental, -somewhat childish face wore a thrill of pleasurable anticipation. "Now -pick it up," she repeated. - -"What?" stammered Bob in a shrinking voice. - -"The brooch, to be sure. Didn't you drop it?" - -"I?" said Bob, drawing his dressing-gown closer about him. They were -speaking in stage whispers. - -"Of course. Wasn't it what you came for?" - -"Came for? Great heavens!--Do you think?--" - -"Think?" said Miss Dolly. "I know." - -Bob looked at her. Her face appeared elf-like, uncannily wise. But for -all her outward calm, her eyes were great big, excited eyes. His -horrified glance turned quickly from them to regard a gleaming diamond -and pearl brooch on the rug. "Jumping Je-hoshaphat! You don't think -I'm--" - -"One of those thrilling society-highwaymen, or social buccaneers?" said -Miss Dolly. "Of course, and I'm so glad it happened like this. I -wouldn't have missed it for the world. Really, I've always wanted to -meet one of those popular heroes. And now to think my dream has come -true! It's just like a play, isn't it?" - -"It is not," replied Bob savagely. This was too much. It was just about -the last straw. "I--" Then he stopped. Suppose any one should hear him? -Miss Dolly's temperamental and comprehensive eyes read his thought. - -"I don't think there's any danger," she purred soothingly. "You see -there's a bathroom on one side of the room and a brick wall on the -other. I wouldn't be surprised if all the rooms are separated by brick -partitions," she confided to him. "Mrs. Ralston likes everything -perfect--sound-proof, fire-proof, and all that." - -"See here," said Bob. "I was just wandering around--couldn't -sleep--and--and I came in here, quite by mistake. Thought it was my own -room!" With some vehemence. - -Miss Dolly shook her head reprovingly, and her temperamental hair flowed -all about her over the white counterpane. She knew it must look very -becoming, it was such wonderful hair--that is, for dark hair. Bob -preferred light. Not that he was thinking of hair, now! "Can't you do -better than that?" asked the temperamental young thing. - -"Better than what?" queried Bob ill-naturedly. He was beginning to feel -real snappy. - -"Invent a better whopper, I mean?" - -"It isn't a whopper, and--and I positively refuse to stay here any -longer. Positively!" - -"Oh, no; not positively," said Miss Dolly, nodding a wise young head. -"You're going to stay, unless--you know the alternative. Since I'm -destined to be a heroine, I want a regular play-scene. I don't want my -part cut down to nothing. Don't you love thief-plays, Mr. Bennett? It's -such fun to see people running around, not knowing who _is_ the thief. -I'm sure I feel quite privileged, in this instance." - -Bob growled beneath his breath. He was handsome enough certainly for a -matinee hero. He was tall and lithe and had such clean-cut features. The -temperamental young thing regarded him with thrilling approval. He -entirely realized her ideal of a social burglar. It seemed almost too -good to be true. - -"I knew you were different from other men," she said. "Something told me -from the very first; perhaps it was the way you tangoed. I expected you -would ask me to trot, but you didn't." Reprovingly. "Suppose you were -otherwise engaged?" Glancing toward the brooch. - -"Not the way you think!" said Bob gloomily, looking more striking than -ever in that melancholy pose. It seemed to harmonize with a -crime-stained career. - -"Of course," murmured Dolly, "it was you who got Mrs. Templeton -Blenfield's wonderful emeralds?" - -"It was not," answered Bob curtly. - -"You were at that costume ball where she lost them?" - -"Suppose I was?" he snapped. Yes, snapped! There is a limit to human -endurance. - -"And you were at Mrs. Benton Briscoe's when a tiara mysteriously -disappeared?" - -"Well, I'm hanged!" said Bob, staring at her. - -"Oh, I hope not--that is, I hope you won't be, some day," answered -Dolly. "Are you going to 'fess up?' You'd better. Maybe I won't betray -you--yet. Maybe I won't at all, if you're real nice." - -"Oh!" said Bob. Whereupon she smiled at him sweetly, just as if to say -it was nice and exciting to have a great, big, bold (and wildly -handsome) society-highwayman in her power. Why, she could send him to -jail, if she wanted to. She had but to lift a little finger and he would -have to jump. The consciousness of guilty knowledge and power she -possessed made her glow all over. She didn't really know though, yet, -whether she would be kind or severe. - -"Do you operate alone, or with accomplices?" she asked, after a few -moments' pleasurable anticipations. - -"I beg pardon?" Bob was again gazing uneasily toward the door. - -"Got any pals?" She tried to talk the way they do in the thief-books. - -"No, I haven't," snapped Bob. That truth pact made it necessary to -answer the most silly questions. - -"Well, I didn't know but you had," murmured the temperamental young -thing. "I heard a dog barking and that made me think you might have -them. You're sure you didn't let anybody into the house?" - -"I didn't." - -Miss Dolly snuggled herself together more cozily. She seemed about to -ask some more questions. Perhaps she would want to know if he had let -anybody out, and then he would have to tell her-- - -"Look here," said Bob desperately. "Maybe it hasn't occurred to you, -but--this--this isn't exactly proper. Me here, like this, and you--" - -"Oh, I'm not afraid," answered Miss Dolly with wonderful assurance. "I -can quite take care of myself." - -"But--but--" more desperately--"if I should be discovered?--Can't you -see, for your own sake--?" - -"My own sake?" The big innocent eyes opened wider. "In that case, of -course, I'd tell them the truth." - -"The truth!" How he hated the word! "You mean that I--?" Glancing toward -the brooch. - -"Of course!" Tranquilly. - -Bob tried to consider. He could see what would happen to him, if they -were interrupted. It certainly was a most preposterous conversation, -anyhow. Besides, it wasn't the place or the time for a conversation of -any kind. He had just about made up his mind that he would go, whether -she screamed or not, and take the consequences, however disagreeable -they might be, when-- - -"Well, trot along," said Miss Dolly graciously. "I suppose you've got a -lot of work to do to-night and it's rather unkind to detain you. Only -pick up the brooch before you go." He obeyed. "Now put it on the dresser -and leave it there. Hard to do that, isn't it?" - -"No, it isn't." Savagely. - -"Well, you can go now. By the way, Mrs. Vanderpool has a big -bronze-colored diamond surrounded by wonderful pink pearls. It's an -antique and--would adorn a connoisseur's collection." - -"But I tell you I am not--" - -"My! How stupid, to keep on saying that! But, of course, you must really -be very clever. Society-highwaymen always are. Good night. So glad I was -thinking of something else and forgot to lock the door!" - -Bob went to the door and she considerately waited until he had reached -it; then she put out a hand and pushed a convenient button which shut -off the light. Bob opened the door but closed it quickly again. He -fancied he saw some one out there in the hall, a shadowy form in the -distance, but was not absolutely sure. - -"Aren't you gone?" said the temperamental young thing. - -"S-sh!" said Bob. - -For some moments there was silence, thrilling enough, even for her. Then -Bob gently opened the door once more, though very slightly, and peered -out of the tiniest crack, but he failed to see any one now, so concluded -he must have been mistaken. The shadows were most deceptive. Anyhow, -there was more danger in staying than in going, so he slid out and -closed the door. At the same moment he heard a very faint click. It -seemed to come from the other side of the hall. He didn't like that, he -told himself, and waited to make sure no one was about. The ensuing -silence reassured him somewhat; and the "click," he argued, might have -come from the door he himself had closed. - -The temperamental young thing, holding her breath, heard him now move -softly but swiftly away. She listened, nothing happened. Then she -stretched her young form luxuriously and pondered on the delirious -secret that was all hers. A secret that made Bob her slave! Abjectly her -slave! Like the servant of the lamp! She could compel him to turn -somersaults if she wanted to. - -Bob awoke with a slight headache, which, however, didn't surprise him -any. He only wondered his head didn't ache more. People came down to -breakfast almost any time, and sometimes they didn't come down at all -but sipped coffee in their rooms, continental-fashion. It was late when -Bob got up, so a goodly number of the guests--the exceptions including -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence--were down by the time he sauntered into the -big sun-room, where breakfast was served to all with American appetites. - -The temperamental little thing managed accidentally (?) to encounter him -at the doorway before he got into the room with the others. He shivered -slightly when he saw her, though she looked most attractive in her -rather bizarre way. Bob gazed beyond her, however, to a vision in the -window. "Vision!" That just described what Miss Gwendoline looked like, -with the sunlight on her and making an aureole of her glorious fair -hair. Of course one could put an adjective or two, before the -"vision"--such as "beautiful," or something even stronger--without being -accused of extravagance. - -The little dark thing, uttering some platitude, followed Bob's look, but -she didn't appear jealous. She hadn't quite decided how much latitude to -give Bob. That young gentleman noticed that the hammer-thrower, looking -like one of those stalwart, masculine tea-passers in an English novel, -was not far from Miss Gwendoline. His big fingers could apparently -handle delicate china as well as mighty iron balls or sledges. He -comported himself as if his college education had included a course at -Tuller's in Oxford Street, in London, where six-foot guardsmen are -taught to maneuver among spindle-legged tables and to perform almost -impossible feats without damage to crockery. - -Miss Dolly now maneuvered so as to draw Bob aside in the hall to have a -word or two before he got to bacon and eggs. What she said didn't -improve his appetite. - -"I'm so disappointed in you," she began in a low voice. - -He asked why, though not because he really cared to know. - -"After that hint of mine!" she explained reproachfully. "About Mrs. -Vanderpool's bronze diamond, I mean!" - -"I fear I do not understand you," said Bob coldly. - -She bent nearer. "Of course I thought it would disappear," she murmured. -"I expected you to execute one of those clever coups, and so I went -purposely to Mrs. Vanderpool's room on some pretext this morning to -learn if it was gone. But it wasn't. I cleverly led the conversation up -to it and she showed it to me." - -"Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "Did you think she wouldn't have it to show -you? That it had found its way to my pockets?" - -"Of course," she answered. "And you _are_ quite sure you haven't it, -after all?" she asked suspiciously. - -"How could I, when you saw--" - -"Oh, you might have substituted a counterfeit brooch just like it for--" - -Bob groaned. "You certainly have absorbed those plays," he remarked. - -"I expected a whole lot of things would be gone," she went on, "and, -apparently," with disappointment, "no one has missed anything. It's -quite tame. Did you get discouraged because you failed to land the -'loot'--is that the word?--in my case? And did you then just go -prosaically to bed?" - -"I certainly went to bed, though there was nothing prosaic about the -procedure." - -"And yet what a dull night it must have been for you!" - -"I shouldn't call it that." - -"No?" She shifted the conversation. "Who do you suppose has come? Dickie -Donnelly. Said he had arrived in town on some business and took -advantage of the opportunity to make a little call on me. Incidentally, -he seems interested in you. Said he would make it a point to see you -after you got down. He's out on the veranda smoking now, I guess. He -wanted to talk to me but I made an excuse to shoo him away. He isn't -half so exciting as you are, you know. I'm quite positive now I couldn't -marry him and annex his old chimneys to ours, for all the world. -Chimneys are such commonplace means to a livelihood, Mr. Bennett, don't -you think? They are so ugly and dependable. Not at all romantic and -precarious! They just smoke and you get richer. There isn't a single -thrill in a whole forest of chimneys. But I mustn't really keep you from -your breakfast any longer," she added with sudden sedulousness. "I've -quite planned what we're going to do to-day." - -"You have?" With a slight accent on the first word. - -"Yes," she assured him quietly. "So run along now." - -The slave, glad to get away, started to obey, when--"One moment!" said -Miss Dolly as if seized with an afterthought. "Dickie asked about you so -particularly that it occurred to me that-- Well, do you think he harbors -any suspicions?" - -"Suspicions?" - -"Yes; do you imagine he, too, by any chance, may have guessed--you -know?" And Dolly again drew closer, her eyes beaming with new -excitement. - -Bob looked disagreeable, but he had to reply. "I'm sure he doesn't think -what you do," he answered ill-humoredly. - -Dolly looked relieved, but still slightly dubious. She didn't appear to -notice that lack of appreciation in Bob's manner for her interest in his -welfare. "Well, you'd better see him," she said in the tone of one who -had already established herself to the post of secret adviser. "He's -bent on an interview with you. Says it's business. And speaking about -business, what business could he possibly have in that dinky little -town? Unless he wanted to buy the whole village! His conduct is, to say -the least, slightly mysterious. Dickie may prove a factor to be reckoned -with." - -"That's true enough," assented Bob, and went in to breakfast. - -The temperamental little thing gazed after him approvingly; she quite -gloried in her big burglar. It was so nice to know something no one else -knew, to be a little wiser than all the rest of the world, including the -police and the detective force! Bob must be terribly resourceful and -subtle, to have deceived them all so thoroughly. He only seemed a little -dense at times, just to keep up the deception. It was a part of the -role. He wouldn't even let her, who knew his secret, see under the -surface and she liked him all the better for his reticence. It lent -piquancy to the situation and added zest to the game. Dickie's manner -had certainly seemed to her unduly sober. He appeared to have something -on his mind, though of course he was awfully eager and joyous about -seeing her. - -At the breakfast-table Bob only dallied with his hot rolls and took but -a few gulps of coffee. The monocle-man who sat near by noticed that want -of appetite. - -"Don't seem very keen for your feed this morning," he observed -jocularly. - -"No, not over-peckish," answered Bob. - -"Why not? You look--aw--fit enough!" Reaching for one of those racks for -unbuttered toast which Mrs. Ralston had brought home with her from -London. - -"Headache, for one thing," returned Bob. It was the truth, or part of -the truth. No one looked sympathetic, however. In fact, with the -exception of the monocle-man (Mrs. Ralston hadn't yet come down), every -one in there made it apparent he or she desired as little as possible of -Mr. Bennett's society. Bob soon got up, casting a last bitter glance at -Miss Gerald who seemed quite contented with her stalwart, honest-looking -hammer-thrower. And why not? His character, Bob reflected, was -unimpeachable. He looked so good and honest and so utterly wholesome -that Bob, who himself was tainted with suspicion, wanted to get out of -his presence. So Bob went out to the porch, to hunt up Dickie and -ascertain what was the matter with him? - -It didn't take Bob long to learn what was worrying Dickie. He was -carrying the weight of a new and tremendous responsibility. He had now -become an emissary, a friend in need, to Clarence and the commodore, who -certainly needed one at this moment. It seemed that Mrs. Clarence and -Mrs. Dan had set detectives searching for Gee-gee and Gid-up and they -had succeeded in locating one of the pair, partly by a freckle and a -turned-up nose. The detectives must have worked fast. They were assisted -by the fact that foolish Clarence had kept up an innocent and Platonic -friendship with "Gee-gee's" chum, after that momentous evening when Bob -had been along. Now when a young man begins to hang around the vicinity -of a stage door in a big car, he is apt to make himself a subject for -remark and to become known, especially to the door-keeper who takes a -fatherly interest in his Shetland herd. As Gid-up and Gee-gee were -inseparable, it was but a step to place one by the other. - -Detectives, Dickie informed Bob, had already interviewed the ladies. -They may have offered them money in exchange for information. Mrs. Dan -was very rich in her own name. She could outbid the commodore. Gid-up -might hesitate or refuse to supply or manufacture information for filthy -lucre, but Gee-gee was known to be ambitious. She longed to soar. And -here was a means to that end. Quite a legitimate and customary one! - -"Why, that girl would do anything to get herself talked about," said -Dickie sadly, thinking of Dan, and incidentally, too, of Clarence. -"She'd manufacture information by the car-load. Out of a little, -teeny-weeny remnant of truth, she'd build a magnificent divorce case. -Think of the glorious publicity! Why, Gee-gee and one of the -manager-chaps would sit up nights to see how many columns they could -fill each day in the press. They'd make poor old Dan out worse than -Nero. They'd picture him as a monster. They'd give him claws. And -Clarence would come crawling after him like a slimy snake. Incidentally, -they'd throw in a few weeps for Gee-gee. And then some more for Gid-up! -Why, man, when I think of the mischief you've done--" - -"Me?" said Bob miserably, almost overwhelmed by this pathetic picture -Dickie had drawn. "But it wasn't! It was Truth." Dickie snorted. "What -do you want me to do? Commit suicide? Annihilate truth? That would be -one way of doing it. I'm sure I shouldn't much mind. Shall I poison -Truth or blow its brains out? Or shall I take it down to the lake and -jump in with it? Do you think it has made _me_ very happy? What am I? -What have I become? Where is my good name?" He was thinking of what the -temperamental little thing considered him. "Say, do I look like a -criminal?" he demanded, confronting Dickie. The latter stared, then -shrugged. Of course, if Bob wanted to rave--? "Or a crazy man? Do I look -crazy?" he continued almost fiercely. "Well, there are people in there," -indicating the house, "who think I am." Dickie started slightly and -looked thoughtful. "You ask the judge, or the doctor, or--a lot of -others. Ask Miss Gwendoline Gerald," he concluded bitterly. - -Dickie shifted a leg. "It might not be a bad idea," he said in a -peculiar tone, whose accent Bob didn't notice, however. For some moments -the two young men sat moodily and silently side by side. - -"Where are Dan and Clarence now?" asked Bob in a dull tone, after a -while. - -"Gone to New York. Hustled there early this morning after some hurry-up -messages gave an inkling of what was going on. I'm to do my best at this -end. Keep my eyes on Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence, and incidentally, learn -and do what I can." - -As he spoke Dickie tapped his leg with his cane; at the same time he -bestowed another of those peculiar looks on Bob. Just then a young lady -stepped from the house and came toward them. She was in the trimmest -attire--for shooting or fishing--and looked extraordinarily trim, -herself. A footman followed with two light rods and a basket. - -"Come on," she said lightly to Bob. "Might as well get started. It's -almost noon." - -"Started?" he stammered, staring at her. - -"Yes, on that fishing excursion we planned." - -"We?" he repeated in the same tone. And then-- "All right!" he said. It -occurred to him, if he went off somewhere alone, with the temperamental -young thing, he wouldn't, at any rate, have to bob against a score or so -of other people throughout the day. Better one than a crowd! "I'm -ready," he added, taking the rods and small basket. - -"But, I say--" Dickie had arisen. There was a new look in his eyes--of -disappointment, surprise--perhaps apprehension, too! "I say--" he -repeated, looking darkly toward Bob. - -The temperamental young thing threw him a smile. "Sorry, Dickie, but a -previous engagement.--You know how it is!" - -"I can imagine," thought Dickie ominously, watching them disappear. Then -his glance shifted viciously toward the house, and there was a look of -stern determination in his eyes. As he mingled with others of the guests -a few moments later, however, his expression had become one of studied -amiability. Dickie was deep. His grievance now was as great as Dan's or -Clarence's. - - - - - CHAPTER XI--FISHING - - -They had an afternoon of it, Bob and Dolly. Bob made himself useful, if -not agreeable. He was a willing though not altogether cheerful slave. -But the girl did not appear to mind that. She had spirits enough for -both of them and ordered Bob around royally. She was nice to him, but -she wanted him to know that he was her property, as much hers as if she -had bought him at one of those old human auction sales. Only hers was a -white slave! - -She had the grandest time. She made him help her across the stream on a -number of unnecessary occasions, holding the slave's hand, so that she -wouldn't slip on the slippery stones. And once she had him carry her -across. She had to, because there weren't any stones, slippery or -otherwise, she could avail herself of, at that particular spot. It is -true she might have gone on a little farther and found some slippery -stones that would have served her purpose, but she pretended not to know -about them. Besides, what is the use of being a despot and having a -private slave, all to yourself, if you don't use him and make him work? -Mr. Bennett wasn't only a slave either, he was a romantic hero, as well, -and in the books, heroes always carry the heroines across streams. Miss -Dolly experienced a real bookish feeling when Bob carried her. He fully -realized the popular ideal, he had such strong arms. True, he didn't -breathe on her neck, or in her ear, and he grasped her rather gingerly, -but she found no fault over that. Her great big hero was a modest hero. -But he was very manly and masculine, too. - -He had plunged right in the stream, shoes and all, in spite of her -suggestion that he had better take them off. But what cared he for wet -feet? Might cause pneumonia, of course; but pneumonia had no terrors for -Bob! She smiled at his precipitancy, while secretly approving of it. The -act partook of a large gallantry. It reminded her of Sir Walter Raleigh -and that cloak episode. Miss Dolly nestled very cozily, en route, with a -warm young arm flung carelessly over a broad masculine shoulder and her -eyes were dreamy, the way heroines' eyes are in the books. She was not -thinking of chimneys. - -On the other side, she sat down, and imperiously--mistresses of slaves -are always imperious--bade him take off her shoes. It was doubly -exciting to vary the role of heroine with that of capricious -slave-mistress. Of course, she might just as well have taken off her -shoes on the other side and walked over but she never dreamed of doing -that. After the slave had taken off her shoes, she herself removed her -stockings, while the slave (seemingly cold and impassive as Angelo's -marble Greek slave) looked away. Then she dabbled her tiny white feet in -the cold stream. She was thinking of that Undine heroine. Dabbling her -feet, also made her feel bookish. Only in the books the heroes (or -slaves) gaze adoringly at said feet. Hers were worth gazing at, but Bob -didn't seem to have eyes. Never mind! She told herself she liked that -cold Anglo-Saxon phlegm (what an ugly word!) in a man. She saw in it a -foil to her own temperamental disposition. - -Having dabbled briefly, she held out a tiny foot and the slave dried it -with his handkerchief, looking very handsome as he knelt before her. -Then she put out the other and he repeated the operation. Then she put -on her shoes and stockings. Then she remembered they had come ostensibly -to fish and began whipping the stream spasmodically, while he did the -same mechanically. They caught one or two speckled beauties, or Bob did. -She couldn't land hers. They always got tangled in something which she -thought very cute of them. She didn't feel annoyed at all when they got -away, but just laughed as if it were the best kind of a joke, while Bob -looked at her amazed. She called _that_"sport." - -Then she made him build a "cunning little fire" on a rock and clean the -fish and cook them and set them before her. She graciously let him sit -by her side and partake of a few overdone titbits and a sandwich or two -they had brought in the basket. But she also made him jump up every once -in a while to do something, finding plenty of pretexts to keep him busy. -In fact, she had never been more waited upon in her life, which was just -what she wanted. Bob, however, didn't complain, for the minutes and -hours went by and she asked no embarrassing questions. She didn't make -herself disagreeable in that respect, and as long as she didn't, he -didn't mind helping her over rocks, or toting her. At least, this was a -respite. His headache wasn't quite so bad; the fresh air seemed to have -helped it. - -As for her thinking him one of those high-class society-burglars, or -social buccaneers, it didn't so much matter to him, after all. He was -getting rather accustomed to the idea. Of course, she would be terribly -disappointed if she ever found out he wasn't one, but there didn't seem -much chance of his ever clearing himself, in her mind, of that unjust -suspicion. At least, he reflected moodily, he was capable of making one -person in the world not positively miserable. Last night when he had -parted from Dickie, he had found a small grain of the same kind of -comfort, in the fact the he (or truth) had not harmed Dickie. But to-day -Dickie had appeared saddened by Dan's and Clarence's troubles. Then, -too, Bob had been obliged to walk off, right in front of Dickie's eyes -with the temperamental young thing whom Dickie wanted to marry the worst -way. And here he (Bob) was helping her over stones, "toting" frizzling -trout for her, and performing a hundred other little services which -should, by right, have been Dickie's pleasure and privilege to perform. - -Bob murmured a few idle regrets about Dickie, but Miss Dolly dismissed -them--and Dickie--peremptorily. She was sitting now, leaning against a -tree and the slave, by command, was lying at her feet. - -"Did you know," she said dreamily, "I am a new woman?" - -He didn't know it. He never would have dreamed it, and he told her so. - -"Yes," she observed, "I marched in the parade to Washington. That is, I -started, went a mile or two, and then got tired. But I marched there, in -principle, don't you see? I think women should throw off their shackles. -Don't you?" Bob might have replied he didn't know that Miss Dolly ever -had had any shackles to throw off, but she didn't give him time to -reply. "I read a book the other day wherein the women do the proposing," -she went on. "It's on an island and the women are 'superwomen.' All -women are 'super' nowadays." She regarded him tentatively. Her glance -was appraising. "Do you know of any reason why women should _not_ do the -proposing, Mr. Bennett?" - -"Can't say that I do," answered Bob gloomily, feeling as if some one had -suddenly laid a cold hand on his breast, right over where the heart is. -Her words had caused his thoughts to fly back to another. She might not -be proposing to the hammer-thrower at that moment in that "super" -fashion, but the chances were that the hammer-thrower was proposing to -her. He didn't look like a chap that would delay matters. He would -strike while the iron was hot. - -The temperamental young thing eyed Bob and then she eyed a -dreamy-looking cloud. She let the fingers of one hand stray idly in -Bob's hair as he lay with his head in the grass. - -"It tries hard to curl, doesn't it?" she remarked irrelevantly. - -"What?" said Bob absently, his mind about two miles and a half away. - -"Your hair. You've got lovely hair." Bob looked disgusted. "It started -to curl and then changed its mind, didn't it?" she giggled. - -Bob muttered disagreeably. - -"I suppose you were one of those curly-headed little boys?" went on the -temperamental young thing. - -"I don't know whether I was or not," he snapped. He was getting back -into that snappy mood. Then it struck him this might not be quite the -truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for he added sulkily; -"Maybe I was." - -"I can just see you," said the temperamental young thing in a far-off -voice. "Nursie must have thought you a darling." - -The slave again muttered ominously. He wished the temperamental little -thing would take her fingers away. They trailed now idly over an ear. - -"You're tickling," said Bob ill-naturedly. - -She stopped trailing and patted instead--very gently and carelessly--as -if she were patting a big Newfoundland dog which she owned all by -herself. That pat expressed a sense of ownership. - -"I'm wondering," she said, "whether it would make things nicer, if I did -propose and we became engaged?" - -"Oh," said Bob satirically, "you're wondering that, are you?" - -"Yes." More tentative pats. - -"And what do you suppose I'd say?" he demanded. He was feeling more and -more grouchy all the time. He didn't want any of that "superwoman" -business. He had already had one proposal. What mockery! A proposal! He -heard again that other "Will you marry me?" and looked once more, in -fancy, into the starry, enigmatical violet eyes. He experienced anew -that surging sensation in his veins. And he awoke again to the hollow -jest of those words! He felt, indeed, a moderately vivid duplication of -all his emotions of the night before. The temperamental young thing's -voice recalled him from the poignant recollections of the painful past -into the dreary and monotonous present. - -"Why, you actually blushed, just now," she said accusingly. - -"Did I?" growled Bob, looking grudgingly into dark eyes where a moment -before, in imagination, there had been starry violet ones. - -"Yes, you did. And"--her voice taking a tenderer accent--"it was -becoming, too." - -"Rush of blood to the head," he retorted shortly. "Comes from lying like -this." - -"What would you say if I did?" she demanded, reverting to that other -topic. "Propose, I mean? Would you accept? Would you take me--I mean, -shyly suffer me," with a giggle, "to take you into my arms?" - -"Quit joshing!" growled Bob. - -"Answer. Would you?" - -"No." - -"No?" Bending over him more closely. For a "super," she was certainly -wonderfully attractive in her slim young way at that moment. Not many of -the inferior sex would have acted quite so stonily as Bob acted. He -didn't show any more emotion when she bent over than one of those -prostrate stone Pharaohs, or Rameses, which lie around with immovable -features on the sands of Egypt. "You see you couldn't help it," the -super-temperamental young thing assured him, confidentially. - -"Ouch!" said Bob, for she was tickling again. He wished she would keep -those trailing fingers in her lap. They felt like a fly perambulating -his brow or walking around his ear. - -"You'd just have to accept me," she added. - -"Oh, you mean on account of that silly burglar business?" - -"Of course. You left two or three thumb-prints in the room." - -"I did?" That _was_ incriminating. No getting around thumb-prints! He -felt as if the temperamental little thing was weaving a mesh around him. -In addition to being a "super," she was a Lady of Shalott. - -Dolly thrilled with a sense of her power. She could play with poor Bob -as a cat with a mouse; she could let him go so far and then put out her -claws and draw him back. - -"Besides, I found out you didn't quite tell me the truth about those -accomplices of yours," she went on triumphantly. "You said there weren't -any, and when I went out and looked around where the dog barked, I found -footprints. They led to the trellis, right up into your room. The -trellis, too, showed some person, or persons, had climbed up, for some -of the boughs were broken. Deny now, if you can, you had visitors last -night," she challenged him. - -Bob didn't deny; he lay there helpless. - -"Of course," she said with another giggle, "I might let you say you'll -think it over. I might not press you too hard at once for an answer. I -don't want you to reply: 'This is so sudden,' or anything like that." -She got up suddenly with a little delirious laugh. "But I simply can't -wait. You look so handsome when you're cross. Besides, it will be so -exciting to be engaged to a--a--" - -"Society-burglar--" grimly. - -"That's it. I've never been engaged to a burglar before!" - -"But you have been engaged?" - -"Oh, yes. Lots of times. But not like this. This feels as if it might -lead--" - -"To the altar?" Satirically. - -"Yes." - -"But suppose I got caught?--that is, if I really enjoyed the distinction -of being a burglar which I am not?" - -"Then, of course, I never knew--you deceived me--poor innocent!--as well -as the rest of the world. And there would be columns and columns in the -papers. And some people would pity me, but most people would envy me. -And I'd visit you in jail with a handkerchief to my eyes and be -snap-shotted that way. And I'd sit in a dark corner in the court, -looking pale and interesting. And the lady reporters would interview me -and they'd publish my picture with yours--'Handsome Bob, the swell -society yeggman. Member of one of the oldest families, etc.' And--and--" - -"Great Scott!" cried Bob. She had that publicity-bee worse than Gee-gee. -In another moment she'd be setting the day. "Shall we--ah!--retrace our -steps?" - -It was getting late. The hours had gone by somehow and as she offered no -objections, they "retraced." For some time now she was silent. Perhaps -she was imagining herself too happy for words. Once or twice she cast a -sidelong glance shyly at Bob. It was the look of a capricious -slave-owner metamorphosed, through the power of love, into a yielding -and dependent young maiden. Bob was supposed to be the brutal conqueror. -Meanwhile that young man strode along unheedingly. He didn't mind any -little branches or bushes that happened to stand in his way and plowed -right through them. It would have been the same, if he had met that -historic bramble bush. A thousand scratches, more or less, wouldn't -count. - -"You can put your arm around me now," she observed, with another musical -but detestable giggle, as they passed through a grove, not very far from -the house. "It is quite customary here, you know." - -He didn't know, but he obeyed. What else could he do? - -"Now say something." Her voice had once more that ownership accent. - -"What do you want me to say?" None too graciously. - -"The usual thing! Those three words that make the world go around." - -"But I don't." Even a worm will turn. - -"You will." Softly. - -"I won't." - -"Oh, yes, you will." More softly. Then with a sigh: "This is the place. -Under this oak, carved all over with hearts and things. Do it." - -"What?" He looked down on lips red as cherries. - -"Are you going to?" - -"And if I don't?" he challenged her. - -"Finger-prints!" she said. "Footmarks!" - -"Oh, well! Confound it." And he did--the way a bird pecks at a cherry. - -She straightened with another giggle. "Our first!" she said. - -"Hope you're satisfied," he remarked grudgingly. - -"It will do for a beginning. Oh, dear! some one saw us!" He looked -around with a start, his unresponsive arm slipping from about a pliant -waist. - -"I don't see any one." - -"He's dodged behind a tree. I think it was Dickie. And--yes, there are -one or two other men. They--they seem to be dodging, too." Bob saw them -now. One, he was sure, was the commodore. - -"Funny performance, isn't it?" he said, with a sickly smile. - -"Perhaps--?" She looked at him with genuine awe in the temperamental -eyes. He read her thought; she thought--believed they had "come for -him." She appeared positively startled, and--yes, sedulous! Maybe, she -was discovering in herself a little bit of that "really, truly" feeling. - -"Oh!" she said. "They mustn't--" - -"Don't you worry," he reassured her. "I think I can safely promise you -they won't do what you expect them to." - -"You mean," joyously, "you have a way to circumvent them?" She was sure -now he had; the aristocratic burglars always have. He would probably -have a long and varied career before him yet. - -"I mean just what I say. But I think they want to talk with me? Indeed, -I'm quite sure they do. They are coming up now. Perhaps you'd better -leave me to deal with them." - -"You--you are sure they have no evidence to--?" - -"Land me in jail? Positively. I assure you, on my honor, you are the -only living person who, by any stretch of the imagination, could offer -damaging testimony against me, along that line." - -He spoke so confidently she felt it was the truth. "I believe you," she -said. She wanted to say more, befitting the thrill of the moment, but -she had no time. Dickie and two others were approaching. It might be -best if he met them alone. So she slipped away and walked toward the -house. It would be quite exciting enough afterward, she told herself, to -find out what happened. It wasn't until she got almost to the house, -that she remembered she ought to have asked Bob for a ring. Of course, -he would have a goodly supply of them. Would it make her _particeps -criminis_ though, if she wore one of his rings? Then she concluded it -wouldn't, because she was innocent of intention. She didn't know. She -wondered, also, if she should announce her "engagement" right off, or -wait a day or two. She decided to wait a day or two. But she told Miss -Gwendoline Gerald what a lovely time she and Mr. Bennett had had -together, fishing. And Miss Gerald smiled a cryptic smile. - -Meanwhile Bob had met Dan and Dickie and Clarence. - - - - - CHAPTER XII--JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER - - -It was far from a pleasant meeting. Dickie looked about as amiable as a -wind or thunder demon, in front of a Japanese temple. That oscillatory -performance beneath the "kissing-oak," as the noble tree was called, had -been almost too much for Dickie. He seemed to have trouble in -articulating. - -"You're a nice one, aren't you?" he managed at length to say, and his -tones were like the splutter of a defective motor. "You ought to be -given a leather medal." - -"Could I help it?" said Bob wearily. And then because he was too much of -a gentleman to vouchsafe information incriminating a lady: "Usual place! -Customary thing! Blame it on the oak! Ha! ha!" This wasn't evading the -truth; it was simply facetiousness. Might as well meet this trio of -dodging brigands with a smiling face! Dickie's vocal motor failed to -explode, even spasmodically; that reply seemed to have extinguished him. -But the commodore awoke to vivacity. - -"Let us try to meet this situation calmly," he said, red as a -turkey-cock. "But let us walk as we talk," taking Bob's arm and leading -that young man unresistingly down a path to the driveway to the village. -"I shouldn't by any chance want to encounter Mrs. Dan just yet," he -explained. "So if you don't mind, we'll get away from here, while I -explain." - -Bob didn't mind. He saw no guile in the commodore's manner or words. Nor -did he observe how Clarence looked at Dickie. The twilight shadows were -beginning to fall. - -"Briefly," went on the commodore, as he steered them out of the woods, -"our worst fears have been realized. Negotiations with Gee-gee are in -progress. Divorce papers will probably follow." Clarence on the other -side of Dickie made a sound. "All this is your work." The commodore -seemed about to become savage, but he restrained himself. "No use -speaking about that. Also, it is too late for us to call the wager off -and pay up. Mischief's done now." - -"Why not make a clean breast of everything?" suggested Bob. "Say it was -a wager, and--" - -"A truth-telling stunt? That _would_ help a lot." Contemptuously. - -Dickie muttered: "Bonehead!" - -"I mean, you can say there wasn't any harm," said Bob desperately. "That -it was all open and innocent!" - -"Much good my saying that would do!" snorted Dan. "You don't know Mrs. -Dan." - -"Or Mrs. Clarence," said Clarence weakly. - -Bob hung his head. - -"We've thought of one little expedient that may help," observed Dan, -still speaking with difficulty. "While such influences as we could -summon are at work on the New York end, we've got to square matters -here. We've got to account for your--your--" here the commodore nearly -choked--"extraordinary revelations." - -"But how," said Bob patiently, "can you 'account' for them? I suppose -you mean to make me out a liar?" - -"Exactly," from the commodore coolly. - -"I don't mind," returned Bob wearily, "as long as it will help you out -and I'm not one. Only _I_ can't say those things aren't true." - -"You don't have to," said Dan succinctly. "There's an easier way than -that. No one would believe you, anyway, now." - -"That's true." Gloomily. - -"All we need," went on Dan, brightening a bit, "is your cooperation." - -"What can I do?" - -"You don't do anything. We do what is to be done. You just come along." - -"We take you into custody," interposed Clarence. - -"Lock you up!" exploded Dickie once more. "And a good job." - -"Lock me up?" Bob gazed at them, bewildered. Had the temperamental -little thing "peached," after all? Impossible! And yet if she hadn't, -how could Dan and Dickie and Clarence know he was a burglar--or rather, -that a combination of unlucky circumstances made him seem one? Perhaps -that kiss was a signal for them to step forward and take him. History -was full of such kisses. And yet he would have sworn she was not that -kind. - -"You're to come along without making a fuss," said the commodore -significantly. - -"But I don't want to come along. This is going too far," remonstrated -Bob. "I've a decided objection to being locked up as a burglar." - -"Burglar!" exclaimed Dan. - -"Don't know how you found out! Appearances may be against me, but," -stopping in the road, "if you want me to go along, you've got to make -me." - -The trio looked at one another. "Maybe, he really is--" suggested -Dickie, touching his forehead. - -"Too much truth!" said Clarence with a sneer. "Feel half that way, -myself!" - -"Would be all the better for us, if it were really so," observed Dan. -And to Bob: "You think that we think you're a burglar?" - -"Don't you? Didn't you say something about locking me up?" - -"But not in a jail." - -Bob stared. "What then?" - -"A sanatorium." - -"Sanatorium?" - -"For the insane." - -"You mean--?" - -"You're crazy," said Dan. "That's the ticket. Dickie found out, up at -Mrs. Ralston's." - -"Oh, Dickie did?" said Bob, looking at that young gentleman with -lowering brows. - -"You bet I did," returned Dickie. "I put in a good day," viciously, -"while you were fishing." - -"Yes," corroborated the commodore, "Dickie found a dozen people who -think you're dottie on the crumpet, all right." - -Bob folded his arms, still regarding Dickie. "You know what I've a mind -to do to you?" - -"Hold on!" said Dan hastily. "This matter's got to be handled tactfully. -We can't, any one of us, give way to our personal feelings, however much -we may want to. Let's be businesslike. Eh, Clarence? Businesslike." - -"Sure," said Clarence faintly. - -But Dickie, standing behind the commodore and Clarence, said something -about tact being a waste of time in some cases. He said it in such a -sneering nasty way that Bob breathed deep. - -"I've simply got to spank that little rooster," he muttered. - -But again the commodore smoothed things over. "Shut up, Dickie," he said -angrily. "You'll spoil all. I'm sure Bob wants to help us out, if he -can. He knows it's really up to him, to do so. Bob's a good sport." It -was an awful effort for the commodore to appear nice and amiable, but he -managed to, for the moment. "You will help us out, won't you?" he added, -placing velvety fingers on Bob's arm. - -But Bob with a vigorous swing shook off those fingers. He didn't intend -being taken into custody. Dan and the others might as well understand -that, first as last. The commodore's voice grew more appealing. - -"Don't you see you're being crazy will account for everything?" - -"Oh, will it?" In a still small voice. - -"Miss Gwendoline asked me if you'd showed signs before coming down -here?" piped up Dickie. And again Bob breathed deep. Then his thoughts -floated away. Dickie was too insignificant to bother with. - -"Hallucinations!" observed the commodore briskly. "Fits you to a T!" - -Bob didn't answer. He was trying to think if _she_--Miss -Gwendoline--hadn't said something about hallucinations? - -"You simply imagined all those things you confided to Mrs. Dan. You -didn't mean to tell what wasn't so, but you couldn't help yourself. You -really believed it all, at the time. You are irresponsible." - -"Maybe you'll tell me next there isn't any Gee-gee," said Bob. "Also, -that Miss Gid-up is but an empty coinage of the brain?" - -"No, we'll do better than that. The existence of a Gee-gee accounts, in -part, for your condition. First stage, Gee-gee on the brain; then, -brain-storm! Gee-gee is part of your obsession!" - -"You talk, think and dream of Gee-gee," interposed Clarence. "We've got -it all doped out. You are madly jealous. You imagine every man is in -love with her. You even attribute to Dan here, ulterior motives." - -"I mentioned to Miss Gerald, privately, that a certain very fascinating -but nameless young show-girl might be your trouble," said Dickie. - -Again Bob did a few deep-breathing exercises, and again he managed to -conquer himself. - -"Don't you see we've simply got to lock you up?" said the commodore. -"You're a menace to the community; you're a happy home-breaker. You may -do something desperate." - -"I might," said Bob, looking the commodore in the eye. - -Dan overlooked any covert meaning. "We take your case in time," he went -on. "You go into an institution, stay a week, or two--or shall we say, -three," insinuatingly, "and you come out cured." - -"Wouldn't that be nice?" said Bob. They were going to put truth in a -crazy-house. That's what it amounted to. "But how about Gid-up? Did I -have an obsession about her, too?" - -"Oh, as Gee-gee's chum she is part of the brainstorm and that drags poor -old Clarence in,--Clarence who is as ignorant of the existence of Gid-up -as I am of Gee-gee." - -"And that's the truth," said Clarence stoutly. - -Bob laughed. He couldn't help it. Perhaps many of the people in jails -and crazy-houses were only poor misguided mortals who had gone wrong -looking for truth. Maybe some of them had met with that other kind of -truth (Dan's kind and Clarence's kind) and they hadn't the proper vision -to see it was the truth (that is, the world's truth). - -"Got it fixed all right," went on the commodore. "Doc, up there at the -house, has written a letter to the head of an eminently respectable -institution, for eminently respectable private patients. It's not far -away and the head is a friend of Doc's. Dickie saw to the details. It's -a good place. Kind gentle attendants; nourishing food. Isn't that what -the Doc said, Dickie?" - -"I guess the food won't hurt _him_" said Dickie, regarding Bob. Maybe, -Dickie wouldn't have minded if Bob had had an attack, or two, of -indigestion. - -"Doc says they're especially humane to the violent," continued the -commodore, unmindful of Bob's ominous silence. It seemed as if Dan was -talking to gain time, for he looked around where the bushes cast dark -shadows, as if to locate some spot. "None of that slugging or -straight-jacket business! Doc talked it over with the judge and some of -the others. Judge said he'd committed a lot of people who hadn't acted -half as crazy as you have. You see Dickie had to take him into his -confidence a little bit and the Doc, too. Doc diagnosed your breakdown -as caused by drugs and alcohol." - -"So you made me out a dipsomaniac?" observed Bob. - -"What else was there to do? Didn't you bring it on yourself?" - -Dan now stopped, not far from a clump of bushes. Down the road stood a -stalled motor-car vaguely distinguishable in the dusk. Its occupant, or -occupants had apparently gone to telephone for help. - -"You bet I made you out a 'dippy,'" said Dickie with much satisfaction. - -A white light shone from Bob's eyes. Then he shrugged his broad -shoulders. - -"Good night," he said curtly and turned to go. - -But at that instant the commodore emitted a low whistle and two men -sprang out of the bushes. At the same moment the trio precipitated -themselves, also, on Bob. It was a large load. He "landed" one or two on -somebody and got one or two in return himself. Dickie rather forgot -himself in the excitement of the moment and was unnecessarily forceful, -considering the odds. But Bob was big and husky and for a little while -he kept them all busy. His football training came in handy. Numbers, -however, finally prevailed, and though he heaved and struggled, he had -to go down. Then they sat on him, distributing themselves variously over -his anatomy. - -"Thought I was giving you that charming little chat, just for the -pleasure of your company, did you?" panted the commodore, from somewhere -about the upper part of Bob? "Why, I was just leading you here." - -"And he came like a lamb!" said Clarence, holding an arm. - -"Or a big boob!" from Dickie, who had charge of a leg. - -Bob gave a kick and it caught Dickie. The little man went bowling down -the road like a ten-pin. But after that, there wasn't much kick left in -Bob. They tied him tight and bore him (or truth, trussed like a fowl), -to the car. Some of them got in to keep him company. There wasn't -anything the matter with the car. It could speed up to about sixty, or -seventy, at a pinch. It went "like sixty" now. - -"If he tries to raise a hullabaloo, toot your horn," said the commodore, -when he got his breath, to the driver. "At the same time I'll wave my -hat and act like a cut-up. Then they'll only take us for a party of -fuzzled joy-riders." - -"I don't think he'll make much noise now," shouted Dickie significantly, -from behind. "We'll jolly well see to that." - -"How long will it take you to make the bug-house?" the commodore asked -the man at the wheel. - -"We should reach the private sanatorium in less than an hour," answered -that individual. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII--AN ENFORCED REST CURE - - -They kept him two days in the padded room on Dickie's recommendation, -who made Bob out as highly dangerous. "Powerful and vicious," he -described him to the suave individual in charge of the "sanatorium." -That particular apartment was somewhat remote from the other rooms, so -that any noises made by the inmate of the former wouldn't disturb the -others. Becoming more reconciled to the inevitable, Bob found the quiet -of the padded room rather soothing to his shaken nerves. He didn't have -to talk to hardly a soul. Only an attendant came around once in a while -to shove cautiously something edible at him, but the attendant didn't -ask any questions and Bob didn't have to tell him any truths. It was a -joyful relief not to have to tell truths. - -Bob's eye was swollen and he had a few bruises, but they didn't count. -He had observed with satisfaction that Dickie's lip had an abrasion and -that one of his front teeth seemed missing. Dickie would have to wait -until nature and art had repaired his appearance before he could once -more a-wooing go. Bob didn't want the temperamental young thing himself, -but he couldn't conscientiously wish Dickie success in that quarter, -after the unnecessarily rough and unsportsmanlike manner in which Dickie -had comported himself against him (Bob). - -At first, it had occurred to Bob to take the attendant--and through him, -the manager of the institution--into his confidence, but for two reasons -he changed his mind about doing so. The attendant would probably receive -Bob's confidence as so many illusions; he would smile and say -"Yes--quite so!" or "There! there!"--meaning Bob would get over said -illusions some day, and that was why he was there. He was being treated -for them. Again, if he unbosomed himself fully, as to the fundamental -cause of all this trouble and turmoil, he would lose to the commodore, -et al., and have to pay that note which he didn't very well see how he -could pay. - -Bob gritted his teeth. Would it not be better to win now to spite them -and in spite of everything? About the worst that could happen, had -happened. Why not accept, then, this enforced sojourn philosophically -and when the time came, he would walk up to the captain's (or -commodore's) office and demand a little pay-envelope as his hard-earned -wage? There would be a slight balm in that pay-envelope. With the -contents thereof, he could relieve some of dad's necessities which soon -would be pressing. Why not, with a little stretch of the imagination, -tell himself he (Bob) was only taking a rest cure? People paid big -prices for a fashionable rest cure. They probably charged pretty stiff -prices here, but it wouldn't cost him a cent. His dear friends who put -him here would have to pay. He wasn't a voluntary boarder. They would -have to vouch for him and his bills. So Bob made up his mind to have as -good a time as he could; in other words, to grin and bear it, as best he -might. - -It was a novel experience. Maybe he might write an article about it for -one of the Sunday newspapers some day--"How It Feels for a Sane Person -to be Forcibly Detained in an Insane Asylum, by One who Has Been There." -The editor could put all manner of gay and giddy head-lines over such an -experience. Bob tried to chronicle his feelings in the padded cell, but -he couldn't conjure up anything awful or harrowing. There weren't -spiders, or rats, or any crawly things to lend picturesqueness to the -situation. It was only deadly quiet--the kind of quiet he needed. - -He slept most of those first two days, making up for hours of lost -sleep. His swollen eye became less painful and his appetite grew large -and normal. He had to eat with his fingers because they were afraid to -trust him with a knife and fork, but he told himself cheerfully that -high-class Arabs still ate that way, and that all he had to do was to -sit cross-legged, to be strictly _comme il faut_--that is, from the -Arab's standpoint. Since he had adopted truth as his mentor, Bob had -learned, however, that "what should be" or "what shouldn't," or -"mustn't," depends a great deal upon the standpoint, and he was -beginning to be very suspicious, or critical, about the standpoint. - -The third day the doctor in charge thought he could trust him in a room -without pads. Bob had a good color, his eye was clear and his appearance -generally reassuring, so they gave him now the cutest little cubby-hole, -with a cunning little bed and a dear little window, with flowers outside -and iron bars between the inmate and the flowers. The managing-medico -proudly called Bob's attention to the flowers and the view. One gazing -out could see miles and miles of beautiful country. The managing-med. -talked so much about that view that Bob chimed in and said it was -lovely, too, only, it reminded him of the bone set just beyond reach of -a dog chained to _his_ cute little cubby-hole; or the jug of water and -choice viands the Bedouins of the desert set before their victim after -they have buried him to the neck in the sand. Bob was going on, trying -to think of other felicitous comparisons, when he caught a look in the -managing-med's. eye that stopped him. - -"I wonder if you are well enough, after all, to appreciate this cozy and -home-like little apartment?" said the med. musingly. - -Bob hastily apologized for the figures of speech. The padded place was -very restful, no doubt, but he was quite rested now. Any more -padded-room kind of rest would be too much. He looked at the view and -expatiated upon it, even calling attention to certain charming details -of the landscape. The flowers made a charming touch of color and they -were just the kind of flowers he liked--good, old-fashioned geraniums! -He could say all this and still tell the truth. The medico studied him -attentively; then he concluded he would risk it and permit Bob to stay -in the room. - -But he didn't stay there long. Several nights later a pebble clicked -against his window; at first, he did not notice. The sound was repeated. -Then Bob got up, went to his window, raised it noiselessly and looked -out. In the shadow, beneath the window, stood a figure. - -"Catch," whispered a voice and instinctively Bob put out his hand. But -he didn't catch; he missed. Again and again some one below tossed -something until finally he did catch. He looked at the object--a spool -of thread. Now what on earth did he want with a spool of thread? Did the -person below think some of his garments needed mending? It was strong, -serviceable enough thread. - -For some moments Bob cogitated, then going to the bureau, he picked up a -tooth-brush, tied it to the thread, and let it down. After an interval -he pulled up the thread; the tooth-brush had disappeared and a file was -there in its stead. Then Bob tied to the thread something else and -instead of it, he got back the end of an excellent manila rope. After -that he went to work. It took Bob about an hour to get those bars out; -it took him, then, about a minute to get out himself. Fortunately some -one in a near-by room was having a tantrum and the little rasping sound -of the filing couldn't be heard. The louder the person yelled, the -harder Bob filed. - -When he reached the earth some one extended a hand and led him silently -out of the garden and into the road beyond. Bob went along meekly and -obediently. Not far down the road was a taxicab. Bob got in and his fair -rescuer followed. So far he hadn't said a word to her; language seemed -superfluous. But as they dashed away, she murmured: - -"Isn't it lovely?"' - -"Is it?" he asked. Somehow he wasn't feeling particularly jubilant over -his escape. In fact, he found himself wondering almost as soon as he had -reached the earth, if it wouldn't have been wiser, after all, to have -spent the rest of those three weeks in pleasant seclusion. The presence -of the temperamental young thing suggested new and more perplexing -problems perhaps. He had regarded her as somewhat of a joke, but she -wasn't a joke just now; she was a reality. What was he going to do with -her, and with himself, for that matter? Why were they dashing madly -across the country like that together? - -It was as if he were carrying her off, and he certainly didn't want to -do that. He wasn't in love with her, and she wasn't with him. At least, -he didn't think she was. It was only her temperamental disposition that -caused her to imagine she was in love, because she thought him something -that he wasn't. And when she found out he wasn't, but was only a plain, -ordinary young man, not of much account anyhow, what a shock would be -the awakening! Perhaps he'd better stop the machine, go back into the -garden, climb up to his room in the crazy-house and tumble into bed? His -being here, embarked on a preposterous journey, seemed a case of leaping -before looking, or thinking. - -"Why so quiet, darling?" giggled the temperamental young thing, -snuggling closer. - -"Don't call me that. I--I won't stand it." - -"All right, dearie." With another giggle. - -"And drop that 'dearie' dope, too," he commanded. - -"Just as you say. Only what _shall_ I call you?" - -"I guess plain 'darn fool' will do." - -"Oh, you're too clever to be called that," she expostulated. - -"Me, clever?" Scornfully. - -"Yes; think how long you have fooled the police." - -"I wish you wouldn't talk such nonsense." Irritably. - -"I won't. On condition!" - -"What?" - -"If you'll put your arm around me." - -"I won't." - -"Oh, yes, you will." She adjusted it for him. - -"All right! If you want some one to hug you when he doesn't want to!" he -said in aggrieved tones. - -"That makes it all the nicer," she returned. "There are ever so many men -that want to. This--this is so different!" With a sigh. - -"There you go, with some more nonsense talk!" grumbled Bob. - -"Well," she giggled, "there's always a way to make a poor, weak, -helpless little thing stop talking." - -"Of all the assurance!" he gasped. - -"I love to have some one I can command to make love to me." - -"I'm going back." Disgustedly. - -"Oh, no, you're not. You can't." - -"Why?" - -"You'd be arrested, if you did. They are coming for you. That's why I -came--to circumvent them!" - -"They?" - -"All has been discovered." - -"I fail to understand." - -"What did you do with it?" she countered. - -"It?" - -"The swag." - -Bob started to withdraw his arm but she clapped a small warm hand on his -big warm hand and held his strong right arm about her slim, adaptable -waist. Her head trailed on his shoulder, while she started floating off -in dreamland. - -"I just love eloping," she murmured. - -"What was that last word?" he observed combatively. - -"Elope! elope! elope!" she whispered dreamily, her slim, young feminine -figure close to his big masculine bulk. - -"So you think you're eloping with me?" said Bob ominously. - -"I know I am." In that musical die-away tone. "We're headed straight for -old New York and we're going to get married in the little church around -the corner. Then"--with a happy laugh--"we may have to disguise -ourselves and flee." - -"May I kindly inquire--that is, if I have any voice in our future -operations--_why_ we may have to disguise ourselves?" - -"In case they should want to capture you. The police, I mean." - -"Police?" he said. - -"Didn't I just tell you they were coming for you?" - -"Indeed?" He looked down in her eyes to see if she was in earnest. He -believed she was. "For what?" - -"Oh, you know." She raised her lips. "Say, that was a real stingy one, -under the oak." - -"You say all has been discovered?" went on Bob, disregarding her last -remark. - -"I say that was a real stingy--" - -"Hang it!" But he had to. He knew he had to get that idea out of her -head, before he could get any more real information from her. - -"And think how you deceived poor little me, about it!" she purred -contentedly. After all, thought Bob, it didn't take "much of a one" to -satisfy her. She had only wanted "it," perhaps, because "it" fitted in; -"it" went with eloping. Perhaps "it" would have to happen about once so -often. Bob hoped not. She was a dainty little tyrant who let him see -plainly she had sharp claws. She could scratch as well as purr. Somehow, -he felt that he was doubly in her power--that he was doubly her slave -now--that something had happened which made him so. He could not imagine -what it was. - -"They're keeping it very quiet, though," she went on. "The robbery, I -mean!" - -"There has been a robbery at Mrs. Ralston's?" - -"Of course. And you didn't know a thing about it?" she mocked him. - -"I certainly did not." - -"You say that just as if it were so," she observed admiringly. "I don't -suppose you are aware that some one did really substitute a counterfeit -brooch for Mrs. Vanderpool's wonderful pink pearl and bronze diamond -brooch, after all? Oh, no, you don't know that. You're only a poor -little ignorant dear. Bless its innocent little heart! It didn't know a -thing. Not it!" She was talking baby-talk now, the while her fingers -were playing with Bob's ear. He was so interested in what she was -saying, however, that he failed to note the baby-talk and overlooked the -liberties she was taking with his hearing apparatus. - -"By jove!" he exclaimed. "That accounts for what I thought I saw in the -hall that night when I left your room. Imagined I saw some one! Believe -now it was some one, after all. And that door I heard click? Whose door -is that on the other side of the hall from your room and about -twenty-five feet nearer the landing?" Excitedly. - -"Gwendoline Gerald's," was the unexpected answer. - -Bob caught his breath. He was becoming bewildered. "But nothing was -missing from Miss Gerald's room, was there?" he asked. - -"Don't _you_ know?" said she. - -"I do not." - -"My! aren't you the beautiful fibber! I'm wondering if you ever tell the -truth?" - -"I don't tell anything else." Indignantly. "And that's the trouble." - -"And how well you stick to it!" Admiringly. "If you tell such ones -_before_, how will it be _after_?" - -"After what?" he demanded. - -"The church ceremony," she giggled. - -"Don't you worry about that. There isn't going to be any." - -"It's perfectly lovely of you to say there isn't. It will be such fun to -see you change your mind." She spoke in that regular on-to-Washington -tone. "I can just see you walking up the aisle. Won't you look handsome? -And poor, demure little me! I shan't look like hardly anything." - -Bob pretended not to hear. - -"You say they are keeping it very quiet about the robbery at the Ralston -house. How, then, did you come to know?" - -"Eavesdropping." Shamelessly. "Thought it was necessary you should know -the 'lay of the land.' But never mind the 'how.' It is sufficient that I -managed to overhear Lord Stanfield say he was going to send for you. -Gwendoline Gerald knows about the robbery and so does her aunt and Lord -Stanfield, but it's being kept from all the other guests for the -present. Even Mrs. Vanderpool doesn't know. She still thinks the brooch -she is wearing is the real one, poor dear! Lord Stanfield discovered it -wasn't. He asked her one day to let him see it. Then, he just said: 'Aw! -How interesting!'--that is, to her. But to Mrs. Ralston he said it was -an imitation and that some guest had substituted the false brooch for -the real. Mrs. Vanderpool is not to know because Lord Stanfield says the -thief must not dream he is suspected. He wants to give him full swing -yet a while--'enough rope to hang himself with,' were the words he used. -It seems Lord Stanfield anticipated things would be missing. He said he -knew when a certain person--he didn't say whom"--gazing up at Bob -adoringly--"appeared on the scene, things just went. That's why Lord -Stanfield got asked to the Ralston house. Then when he said he was -coming after you, I thought it would be such a joke if you weren't there -to receive him. And that's why I came to elope with you. And isn't it -all too romantic for anything? I am sure none of those plays comes up to -it. Maybe you'll dramatize our little romance some day--that is--" - -Miss Dolly suddenly stopped. "Isn't that a car coming up behind?" - -Bob looked around, too, and in the far distance saw a light. "Believe it -is," he answered. - -She leaned forward and spoke to the driver. They were traveling with -only one lamp lighted; the driver now put that out. Then he went on -until he came to a private roadway, leading into some one's estate, when -quickly turning, he ran along a short distance and finally stopped the -car in a dark shaded spot. Bob gazed back and in a short time saw a big -car whir by. Idly he wondered whether it contained the police, or the -managing medico and some of his staff. Between them, he was promised a -right lively time--altogether too lively. He wondered which ones would -get him first? It was a kind of a competition and he would be first -prize to the winners. Well, it was well to have the enemy--or half of -the enemy--in front of him. Of course, the other half might come up any -moment behind. He would have to take that chance, he thought, as they -now returned to the highway. Meanwhile Miss Dolly's eyes were bright -with excitement. She was enjoying herself very much. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV--MUTINY - - -They resumed the conversation where they had left off. - -"It seems to me," said Bob, "from all you say, that monocle-man has been -a mighty busy person." - -"Of course you knew right along what he is. You didn't need any -information from poor little me about him. He couldn't fool great big -You!" she affirmed admiringly. - -"I can imagine what he is--now," observed Bob meditatively. He was -turning over in his mind what she had said about that substituted -brooch. The some one Bob had imagined he had seen in the hall, after -leaving Miss Dolly's room, might not have been the real thief, after -all; it might have been the monocle-man on the lookout for the thief. -And perhaps the monocle-man had seen Bob. That was the reason he was -"coming for him." Bob could imagine dear old dad's feelings, if he (Bob) -got sent to Sing Sing. What if, instead of rustling and rising to the -occasion, in that fine, old honorable Japanese way, Bob should bring -irretrievable disgrace on an eminently respectable family name? - -He could see himself in stripes now, with his head shaved, and doing the -lock-step. Perhaps, even at that moment, descriptions of him were being -sent broadcast. And if so, it would look as if he were running away from -the officers of the law, which would be tantamount to a confession of -guilt. Bob shivered. The temperamental young thing did not share his -apprehensions. - -"Of course, Lord Stanfield only _thinks_ he has evidence enough to -convict you," she said confidently. "But you'll meet him at every point -and turn the laugh on him." - -"Oh, will I?" said Bob ironically. - -"And you'll make him feel so cheap! Of course, you've got something up -your sleeve--" - -"Wish I had," he muttered. - -"Something deep and mysterious," she went on in that confident tone. -"That's why you acted so queer toward some people. You had a purpose. It -was a ruse. Wasn't it now?" she concluded triumphantly. - -"It was not." Gruffly. - -"Fibber! every time you fib, you've got to--" She put up her lips. - -"This is getting monotonous," grumbled Bob. - -"On the contrary!" breathed the temperamental young thing. "I find it -lovely. Maybe you'll learn how sometime." - -"Don't want to," he snapped. - -"Oh, yes, you do. But as I was saying, you got yourself put in that -sanatorium to mislead everybody. It, too, was a ruse--a part of the -game. It's all very clear--at least, to me!" - -He stared at her. And she called _that_ clear? "When did you leave Mrs. -Ralston's?" he demanded. - -"About three hours ago. Said I'd a headache and believed I'd go to my -room. But I didn't. I just slipped down to the village and hired a taxi. -Maybe we'd better keep our marriage a secret, at first." Irrelevantly. - -"Maybe we had," answered Bob. And then he called out to the man in -front. "Stop a moment." - -Before Miss Dolly had time to expostulate, the driver obeyed. Bob sprang -out. - -"You aren't going to leave me, are you?" said the temperamental little -thing. "If so--" She made as if to get out, too. - -"No; I'm not going to leave you just yet," answered Bob. Then to the -driver: "See here! Your blamed machine is turned in the wrong direction. -You know where you're going to take us?" - -"New York." - -"No; back to Mrs. Ralston's. You take the first cross-road you come to -and steer right for there." - -"You're not to do any such thing," called out Miss Dolly. "You're to go -where _I_ tell you." - -"You're to do nothing of the sort," said Bob. "You're to go where _I_ -tell you." - -The driver scratched his head. - -"Which is it to be?" asked Bob. "This is the place to have an -understanding." - -"The lady hired me," he answered. - -"Yes, and I won't pay you at all, if you don't mind," said Miss Dolly in -firm musical accents. - -"Guess that settles it," observed the driver. - -"You mean--?" began Bob, eying him. - -"It means I obey orders. She's my 'fare,' not you. We just picked you -up." - -"And that's your last word?" Ominously. - -"Say, lady"--the driver turned wearily--"have I got to suppress this -crazy man you got out of the bughouse?" - -"Maybe that would be a good plan," answered Miss Dolly, militancy now in -her tone. "That is, if he doesn't get in, just sweet and quiet-like." - -"It'll be twenty dollars extra," said the man, rising. He was a big -fellow, too. - -"Make it thirty," returned Miss Dolly spiritedly. It was an issue and -had to be met. There was an accent of "On-to-Parliament!" in her voice. -One can't show too much mercy to a "slave" when he revolts. One has to -suppress him. One has to teach him who is mistress. A stern lesson, and -the slave learns and knows his place. - -"Now mind the lady and get back where you belong," said the driver -roughly to Bob. "Your tiles are loose, and the lady knows what is good -for a dingbat like you." Possibly he thought the display of a little -authority would be quite sufficient to intimidate a recent "patient." -They usually became quite mild, he had heard, when the keepers talked -right up to them, like that. The effect of his language and attitude -upon Bob was not, however, quieting; something seemed to explode in his -brain and he made one spring and got a football hold; then he heaved and -the big man shot over his shoulder as if propelled from a catapult. He -came down in a ditch, where the breath seemed to be knocked out of him. -Bob got on in front. As he started the machine, the man sat up and -looked after him. He didn't try to get up though; he just looked. No -doubt he had had the surprise of his life. - -"I'll leave the car in the village when I'm through with it," Bob called -back. "A little walk won't hurt you." - -The man didn't answer. "Gee! but that's a powerful lunatic for a poor -young lady to have on her hands!" he said to himself. - -An hour or so later Bob drew up in front of Mrs. Ralston's house. He -opened the door politely for Miss Dolly and the temperamental young -thing sprang out. The guests were still up, indulging in one of those -late dances that begin at the stroke of twelve, and the big house showed -lights everywhere. There were numerous other taxis and cars in front and -Bob's arrival attracted no particular attention. Miss Dolly gave him a -look, militant, but still adoring. She let him see she had claws. - -"Maybe I'll tell," she said. - -"Go ahead," he answered. - -"Aren't you afraid?" - -"No." He hadn't done anything wrong. - -"Aren't you even sorry?" she asked, lingering. - -"For what?" - -"Being so rough to that poor man?" - -"I'm not. Good night." - -"Good night--darling." She threw out that last word as a challenge. It -had a tender but sibilant sound. It was a mixture of a caress and a -scratch. It meant she hadn't given up her hold on him. He might have -defeated her in one little contest, but she would weave new ways to -entrap him. She might even manage to make him out a murderer--he had -been so many things since embarking on that mercurial truth-telling -career--and then she would give him the choice of the altar or the -chair. - -He started the machine and she watched him disappear, musingly. There -was a steely light, too, in her eyes. He was a mutineer and mutineers -should, figuratively, be made to walk the plank. Should she put him in -jail and then come and weep penitently? At least, it would be thrilling. -Certainly anything was better than that cast-off feeling. She felt no -better than cast-off clothes. This great big brute of a handsome man, -instead of jumping at the chance to elope with one who had everything to -offer such a one as he, had just turned around and brought her back -home. - -Maybe he thought she wasn't worthy of him. Oh, wasn't she? Her small -breast arose mutinously, while that cast-off sensation kept growing and -growing. After rescuing him and saving him, instead of calling her "his -beautiful doll" or other pet names, and humming glad songs to her--how -they would "row, row, row" on some beautiful river of love--or stroll, -stroll, stroll through pathways of perfume and bliss--instead of -regaling her with these and other up-to-date expressions, appropriate to -the occasion, he had repudiated her, cast her off, deposited her here on -the front steps, unceremoniously, carelessly, indifferently. - -Her cheeks burned at the affront. It was too humiliating. The little -hands closed. The temperamental fingernails bit into the tender palms. -At that moment the monocle-man sauntered out of the house and on to the -veranda, near where Miss Dolly was standing. She turned to him quickly. -Her temperament had about reached the Borgia pitch. - - * * * * * - -Bob went on down to the village and to the taxi stand near the station -where he had promised to leave the machine. The last train had just -passed by, after depositing the last of late-comers from the gay -metropolis. Most of them looked fagged; a few were mildly "corned." Bob -regarded them absently and then gave a violent start. - -"Gee-gee!" he gasped. - -There she was, in truth, the beauteous Gee-gee, and the fair Gid-up, -too! Bob gazed in consternation from reddish hair to peroxide. The two -carried grips and were dressed in their best--that is to say, each wore -the last thing in hats and the final gasp in gowns. - -"Guess none of those society dames will have a thing on us, when it -comes to rags," Gid-up murmured to Gee-gee, as they crossed the platform -with little teeny-weeny steps and headed toward a belated hack or two -and Bob's machine. That young man yet sat on the driver's seat of the -taxi; he was too paralyzed to move as he watched them approach. Where on -earth were Gee-gee and Gid-up going? He feared to learn. He had an awful -suspicion. - -"Chauffeur!" Gee-gee raised a begloved finger as she hailed Bob. The -glove had seen better days, but Gee-gee didn't bother much about gloves. -When she had attained the finality in hats and the _ne plus ultra_ in -skirts, hosiery and stilts (you asked for "shoes") she hadn't much time, -or cash, left for gloves which were always about the same old thing over -and over again, anyway. "Chauffeur!" repeated Gee-gee. - -"Meaning me?" inquired Bob in muffled tones. Why didn't she take a hack? -He had drawn up his taxi toward the dark end of the platform. - -"Yes, meaning you!" replied Gee-gee sharply. "Can't say I see any other -human spark-plug in this one-night burg." - -"What can I do for you?" stammered Bob. He was glad it was so shadowy -where he sat, and he devoutly hoped he would escape recognition. - -"What can he do? Did you hear that?" Gee-gee appealed indignantly to -Gid-up. "I don't suppose a great jink like you knows enough to get down -and take a lady's bag? Or, to open the door of the limousine?" - -"Well, you see this machine's engaged," mumbled Bob. "No, I don't mean -that." Hastily. "I mean I'm not the driver of this car. It doesn't -belong to me. And that's the truth." - -"Where is the driver?" Haughtily. "Send for him at once." Gee-gee did -not like to be crossed. Gid-up was more good-natured; she only shifted -her gum. - -"I can't send for him," said Bob drawing his hat down farther over his -face. "He's down the road." - -"What's he doing there?" - -"I don't know. Maybe, he's walking; maybe, he's sitting in the ditch." - -Gee-gee stared, but she could see only a big shadowy form; she couldn't -make out Bob's features. "The boob's got bees," she confided to Gid-up, -and then more imperatively: "Are you going to get off your perch and let -us in?" - -"Beg to be excused," muttered Bob. "Hack over there! Quick! Before some -one else gets it." - -That started them away. The teeny-weeny steps encompassed, accelerando, -the distance between Bob and his old friend, the hackman who had laughed -at what he supposed were Bob's eccentricities. The hackman got down and -hoisted in the grips. - -"Where to?" he said. - -Bob listened expectantly. He feared what was coming. - -"Mrs. Ralston's," answered Gee-gee haughtily. At the same time Gid-up -threw away her gum. She would have to practise being without it. - -Bob drearily watched the hack roll away. He refused another offer of a -fare--this time from a bibulous individual who had supped, not wisely, -but too well--and nearly got into a fight because the bibulous -individual was persistent and discursive. Then Bob walked away; he -didn't think where he was going; he only wanted to get away from that -chauffeur job. What would come of these new developments, he wondered? -The temperamental young thing was "peeved," and the ponies (not equine) -had come galloping into the scene at the critical moment. - -He tried to account for their presence. Undoubtedly it was a coup of -Mrs. Dan's. When she learned that dear Dan was bringing -counter-influence to bear upon her witnesses, she arranged to remove -them. She brought them right into her own camp. How? Gee-gee and Gid-up -did a really clever and fairly refined musical and dancing act together. -Mrs. Ralston frequently called upon professional talent to help her out -in the entertaining line. It is true, Gee-gee and Gid-up were hardly -"high enough up," or well enough known, to commend themselves ordinarily -to the good hostess in search of the best and most expensive artists, -but then Mrs. Dan may have brought influence to bear upon Mrs. Ralston. -And Mrs. Clarence may have seconded Mrs. Dan's efforts. They may have -said Gee-gee and Gid-up were dashing and different, and would be, at -least, a change. They may have exaggerated the talents of the pair and -pictured them as rising stars whom it would be a credit for Mrs. Ralston -to discover. The hostess was extremely good-natured and liked to oblige -her friends, or to comply with their requests. - -Of course, the young ladies would not appear on the scene as Gee-gee and -Gid-up, in all probability. No doubt, they would assume other and more -appropriate cognomens (non equine). The last show they had played in, -had just closed, so a little society engagement, with strong publicity -possibilities, on the side, could not be anything but appealing, -especially to Gee-gee with her practical tendencies. Of course, they -would have to make a brave effort to put on their society manners, but -Gid-up had once had a home and Gee-gee knew how people talked in the -society novels. Trust Gee-gee to adapt herself! - -Bob felt he could figure it all out. Their coming so late would seem to -indicate they had been sent for in haste. Mrs. Dan, perhaps, had become -alarmed and wasn't going to take any more chances with the commodore who -was capable of sequestering her witnesses, of inveigling them on board -one of his friend's yachts, for example, and then marooning them on a -desert isle, or transporting them to one of those cafe chantants of -Paris. Besides, with that after-midnight "hug" and "grizzly" going on, -Mrs. Dan knew it wouldn't much matter how late the pair arrived. - -By the time Bob had argued this out, he was a long way from the village. -He had been walking mechanically toward the Ralston house and now found -himself on the verge of the grounds. After a moment's hesitation, he -went in and walked up to the house. The dancing had, at length, ceased -and the big edifice was now almost dark. The inmates, or most of them, -seemed to have retired. A few of the men might yet be lingering in the -smoking-room or over billiards. For a minute or two Bob stood in silent -meditation. Then his glance swept toward a certain trellis, and a sudden -thought smote him. - -Wasn't he still Mrs. Ralston's guest? The period for which he had been -invited hadn't expired and he hadn't, as yet, been asked to vacate the -premises. True, some people had forcibly, and in a most highhanded -manner, removed him for a brief period, but they had not been acting for -Mrs. Ralston, or by her orders. He was, therefore, legitimately still a -guest and it was obviously his duty not to waive the responsibility. He -might not want to come back but he had to. That even-tenor-of-his-way -condition demanded it. Besides, manhood revolted against retreat under -fire. To run away, as he had told himself in the car with Miss Dolly, -was a confession of guilt. He must face them once more--even Miss Gerald -and the hammer-thrower. He could in fancy, see himself handcuffed in her -presence, but he couldn't help it. Better that, than to be hunted in the -byways and hovels of New York! Oddly, too, the idea of a big comfortable -bed appealed to him. - -He climbed up the trellis and stood on the balcony upon which his room -opened. Pushing up a window, he entered and feeling around in the -darkness he came upon his grip where he had left it. He drew the -curtains, turned on the lights and undressed. He acted just as if -nothing had happened. Then, donning his pajamas, he turned out the -lights, drew back the curtains once more, and tumbled into the downy. - - - - - CHAPTER XV--AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW - - -But he could not sleep; his brain was too busy. He wondered in what part -of the house Gee-gee and Gid-up were domiciled? He wondered if Mrs. Dan -and Mrs. Clarence were drawing up affidavits? He wondered if that -taxicab man had yet come to town and if he would get out a warrant, -charging him (Bob) with assault? He wondered if Dan and Clarence knew -Gee-gee and Gid-up were here, and if so, what would they do about it? -Would they, too, come prancing on the scene? He wondered if Miss Gerald -were engaged to the hammer-man? He wondered if the maniac-medico would -think of looking for him (Bob) here? He wondered where the police were -looking for him and who was the thief, anyway? This last mental query -led him to consider the guests, one by one. - -He began with the bishop. Suspicion, of course, could not point in that -direction. Still, there was that play, _Deacon Brodie_--a very good man -was a thief in it. But a deacon wasn't a bishop. Besides, Bob had great -respect for the cloth. He dismissed the bishop with an inward apology. -He next considered the judge, but the judge was too portly for those -agile sleight-of-hand feats and the deft foot-work required. He passed -on to the doctor. The doctor had delicate little hands, adapted for -filching work, but he was too much absorbed in cutting up little dogs -and cats to care for such insensible trifles as glittering gee-gaws. The -doctor might be capable of absconding with a Fido or somebody's pet -Meow, but an inanimate Kooh-i-nor would hold for him no temptations. So -from Doc, Bob passed on to Mrs. Van. But she wouldn't surreptitiously -appropriate her own brooch. He even considered the temperamental young -thing whose interest in crime and criminals was really shocking. - -He had got about this far in thrashing things over in his mind when a -rather startling realization that he wasn't alone in the room smote him. -Some one was over there--at the window, and that some one had softly -crossed the room. Bob made an involuntary movement, turning in bed to -see plainer, when with a slight sound of suppressed surprise, the some -one almost magically disappeared. Bob couldn't tell whether he had gone -out of the window, or had sprung back into the room and was now -concealing himself behind the heavy curtains. The young man made a -sudden rush for the window and grab for the curtain, only to discover -there was no one there; nor could he see any one on the balcony, or -climbing down. He did see below, however, a skulking figure fast -vanishing among the shrubbery. A moment, the thought of the commodore -insinuated itself in the young man's bewildered brain, but the commodore -would not again be trying to see him (Bob) here, for the very good -reason that Dan could not know Bob was here. No one yet knew Bob had -returned to Mrs. Ralston's house. The commodore and Clarence no doubt -still believed Bob to be shut up in a cute little cubby-hole with bars. - -The skulking figure below, then, could be dissociated from the -complicated domestic tangle; his proper place was in that other silent -drama, dealing with mysterious peculations. Should Bob climb down, -follow and attempt to capture him? Bob had on only his pajamas and -already the fellow was far away. He would lead any one a fine chase and -Bob hadn't any special desire to go romping over hills in his present -attire, or want of attire. If any one caught him doing it, what excuse -could he make? That he was chasing an accomplice of a thief inside the -house who had probably dropped his glittering booty for his pal to take -away? But he (Bob) was supposed to be that inside-operator, himself, and -he wouldn't be chasing his own pal. Or again, if he were detected in -that sprinting performance by those who didn't know he was supposed to -be an inside-operator, but who thought him only a plain crazy man, -wouldn't the necessity for his reincarceration be but emphasized? Maybe -this latter contingent of his enemies would consider a plain, public -insane asylum, without flowers in the window, good enough for him. They, -undoubtedly, _would_ so conclude if they knew the state of Bob's private -fortune, which certainly did not justify private institutions. - -A slight noise behind him drove all these considerations from Bob's -mind. He dove at once in the direction of the sound, only to fall over -his grip, and as he sprawled, not heroically, in the dark, his door was -opened and closed almost noiselessly. Exasperated, he gathered himself -together and made for the door. Throwing it back, he gazed down the -hall, only to see a figure swiftly vanishing around a dimly-lighted -corner. Bob couldn't make out whether it was a man or a woman, but -seeing no one else in the hall, he impetuously and recklessly darted -after it. When he reached the corner, however, the figure was gone. - -Bob stood in a quandary. There were a good many different doors around -that corner. Through which one had his mysterious visitor vanished? If -he but knew, he felt certain he could place his hand on the much wanted -individual who was making such a nuisance of himself in social circles. -He might be able to rid society of one of those essentially modern -pests, and at the same time lift the mantle of suspicion from himself. -At least, he would be partly rehabilitated. Later, he might complete the -process. And oh, to have her once more see him as he was. - -He was sorely tempted to try a door. He even put his hand on the knob of -the door nearest the corner. The figure must have turned in here; he -couldn't have gone farther without Bob's having caught sight of him. At -least, Bob felt almost sure of this conclusion, having attained that -corner with considerable celerity, himself. - -Almost on the point of turning the knob, prudence bade Bob to pause. -Suppose he made a mistake? Suppose, for example, he stumbled upon -Gee-gee's room, or Gid-up's? The perspiration started on Bob's brow. -Gee-gee would be quite capable of hanging on to him and then raising a -row, just for publicity purposes. She would make "copy" out of anything, -that girl would. Then, if it wasn't Gee-gee's room, it might be Mrs. -Van's. Fancy his invading the privacy of that austere lady's boudoir! -Bob's hand shook slightly and the knob rattled a trifle; he hastily -released it. To his horror a voice called out. - -"Any one there?" - -It was Gee-gee. Bob stood still, not daring to stir, lest Gee-gee, with -senses alert, should hear him and come out and find him. He prayed -devoutly not to be "found." It was bad enough to be crazy, and to be a -social buccaneer, without having Miss Gerald look upon him as an -intrigant, a Don Juan and a Jonathan Wild all rolled into one. Bob -wanted to flee the worst way, but still he thought it better to contain -himself and stand there like a wooden man a few moments longer. - -"Any one there?" repeated Gee-gee. - -A neighboring door opened and one of the last men Bob wanted to see, -under the circumstances, looked out. It was the hammer-thrower and his -honest face expressed a world of wonder, incredulity and reproach, as he -beheld and recognized Bob, who didn't know what to do, or to say. He -certainly didn't want to say anything though, having no desire to -agitate Miss Gee-gee any further. Fortunately, the hammer-thrower seemed -too amazed for words. He just kept looking and looking. "Where on earth -did you come from?" his glance seemed to say. "Are you the ghost of Bob -Bennett? And if you aren't, what are you doing here, before a lady's -door, at this time of night?" - -Disapproval now became mixed with indecision in the hammer-thrower's -glance. He seemed trying to make up his mind whether or not it was a -case demanding forcible measures on his part. Was it his duty to spring -upon Bob, then and there, and "show him up" before the world? Bob read -the thought. In another moment Gee-gee might come to the door, and -then--? Bob suddenly and desperately determined to throw himself upon -the mercy of the hammer-thrower. Indeed, he had no choice. - -Quickly he moved to the door where his hated rival stood and as quickly -pushed by him and entered that person's room. At the same moment Gee-gee -unlocked her door. Bob couldn't see her, though, as he was now -thankfully swallowed up in the depths of a recess in the -hammer-thrower's room. Gee-gee peeked out. She met the eye of the -hammer-thrower who had modestly withdrawn most of his person back into -his apartment and who now suffered only a fraction of his face to be -revealed to Gee-gee at that unseemly hour and place, and under such -unseemly circumstances. - -"I beg your pardon," said the hammer-thrower deferentially, and in a -very low tone, "but did you call out?" - -"Yes, I thought I heard some one at my door." - -Bob hardly breathed. Would the hammer-thrower hale him forth? Would he -toss him--or try to--right out into the hall at Gee-gee's feet? - -"I--I don't see any one," said the hammer-thrower hesitatingly, and -still in a very low tone. His hesitation, however, told Bob he had -considered or was still considering that forcible policy. - -"I certainly thought I did hear some one," observed Gee-gee, matching -the other's tones. His voice seemed to imply that it might be as well -not to arouse any others of the household and Gee-gee involuntarily fell -in with the suggestion. - -"You--" Again, however, that awful hesitation! The hammer-thrower had no -reason to like Bob, for did he not know that young gentleman had the -presumption to adore Miss Gerald? Still the apparently more successful -suitor for Gwendoline's hand had a sportsmanlike instinct. He'd been -brought up to be conscientious. He had been educated to be gentlemanly -and considerate. Perhaps he was asking himself now if it might not be -more sportsmanlike not to denounce Bob, then and there, but to give him, -at least, a chance to explain? "You--you must be mistaken," said the -hammer-thrower, after a pause, in a low tense whisper. - -"You're sure it wasn't you?" murmured Gee-gee softly but suspiciously -and eying the other's open and trustworthy countenance. - -"I?" For a moment Bob thought now, indeed, had come the time to eject -him, but--"Is that a reasonable conjecture?" the other murmured back. - -Gee-gee pondered. "No, it ain't," she confessed, at length. Locked -double-doors separated her room and the hammer-thrower's. He would -surely have used a skeleton key on those doors were he the guilty party, -instead of going out into the hall to try to get in that way. "I got to -thinking of that swell burglar who is going the rounds, before I went to -sleep," murmured Gee-gee, "and I may have been dreaming of him! Sorry to -have disturbed you." And Gee-gee closed her door very quietly. - -She thought she must have been mistaken about the intruder. Anyhow, -there wasn't much excitement for an actress any more, in being robbed. -That advertising stunt had been so overworked that even the provincial -dramatic critics yawned and tossed the advance man's little yarn of -"jewels lost" right into an unsympathetic waste-basket. A scandal in -high life was always more efficacious. No one ever got tired of scandals -and city editors simply clamored for "more." So Gee-gee composed herself -for sleep again. She had reason to be satisfied, for had not she and -Gid-up, who roomed with her, sat up late and arranged final details -before retiring? - -Gid-up would say: "We'll make it like this." And Gee-gee would answer: -"No, like this." Of course, Gee-gee's way was better. Upon a slender -thread of fact she fashioned, as Dickie had feared, a most wonderful -edifice of fancy. She had mapped out a case that would startle even dear -old New York. "Better do it good, if we're going to do it at all," she -had said. Gid-up had been a little doubtful at first, but she always did -what Gee-gee told her to in the end. And Gee-gee knew she could depend -upon Gid-up's memory, for once the latter had had a small part. She had -to say: "Send for the doctor" and she had never been known to get mixed -up and say: "Send for the police," or for the undertaker, or anything -equally ridiculous. Having thoroughly rehearsed her lines, she would -stick to them like a major. When Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence and the two -G's should get together on the morrow, the largest anticipations of the -two former ladies would be realized. Gee-gee wouldn't have Mrs. Dan -disappointed for the world. Gid-up was rather afraid of Mrs. Clarence; -however, she had been batted about by so many rough stage-managers and -cranky musical-directors, she could stand almost anything. - -But what about Bob? - - * * * * * - -That young gentleman, now seated in the hammer-thrower's room, had -frankly revealed what had happened to bring him out in the hall. In a -low tone he told why he had approached Gee-gee's door and what had been -in his mind when he had placed his hand on the knob. The hammer-thrower, -if not appearing particularly impressed by Bob's story, listened -gravely; occasionally he shook his head. It wasn't, on the whole, a very -reasonable-sounding yarn. Truth certainly sounded stranger than fiction -in this instance. Bob couldn't very well blame the other for not -believing. Still he (Bob) owed him that explanation. Though he (Bob) -might detest him as the man who would probably rob him of Miss Gerald's -hand, still the fact remained that the hammer-thrower appeared at -present in the guise of his (Bob's) savior. Bob couldn't get away from -this unpleasant conclusion. He didn't want to have anything to do with -the other and yet here he was in his room, actually being shielded by -him. The situation was, indeed, well-nigh intolerable. - -The hammer-thrower studied Bob with quiet earnest eyes, and the latter -had to acknowledge to himself that the man's face was strong and -capable. If Miss Gerald married him--as seemed not unlikely--she would, -at any rate, not get a weak man. He was about as big as Bob, though not -so reckless-looking. Bob was handsomer, in his dashing way, but some -girls, sensibly inclined, would prefer what might appear a more reliable -type. The hammer-thrower looked so sure of himself and his ground he -inspired confidence. He looked too sure of his ground now, as regards -Bob. - -"It won't do," he said with his usual directness to Bob, when the latter -had finished explaining. "Sounds a little fishy! I'm sorry, old chap, -but I shall have to have time to think it all over. And then I'll try to -decide what is best to be done. You say you were unjustly incarcerated -in a private sanatorium." Bob hadn't explained the circumstances--who -had "incarcerated" him and why. "That you were incarcerated at all is a -matter of regret." - -"To you?" said Bob cynically. - -"Of course." Firmly, but with faint surprise. "You didn't think I -rejoiced at your misfortune, did you?" - -"I didn't know. I thought it possible." - -The hammer-thrower's heavy brows drew together. "You seem to have a -little misconception of my character," he observed with a trace of -formality. "You were incarcerated, apparently, _pro bono publico_. I had -no hand in it. If I had been consulted, I should have hesitated some -time before expressing an opinion." - -"Thanks," said Bob curtly. Such generous reserve was rather galling, -coming from this quarter. - -"I'm afraid you don't mean that," replied the other. "And it's a bad -habit to say what you don't mean. However, we are drifting from the -subject. You will pardon me for not swallowing, _a capite ad calcem_, -that little Münchhausen explanation of yours." - -"I don't care whether you swallow it head, neck and breeches, or not," -returned Bob. The other had taken a classical course at college, and Bob -conceived he was ponderously trying to show off, just to be annoying. He -was adopting a doubly irritating and classical manner of calling Bob a -liar. And that young man was not accustomed to being called that--at -least, of yore! Maybe he would have to stand it now. It seemed so. -"You're like a good many other people I've met lately," said Bob, not -without a touch of weariness as well as bitterness. "You don't know the -truth when you hear it." - -The hammer-thrower drew up his heavy shoulders. "No use abusing me, old -chap," he said in even well-poised tones. "Am I at fault for your -unpopularity? Indeed"--as if arguing with himself in his slow heavy -fashion--"I fail to understand why you have made yourself unpopular. You -seem to have proceeded with deliberate intention. However, that is -irrelevant. You say there was some one in your room, or rather the room -you were supposed to have vacated; but to which you have unaccountably -returned--not, I imagine, by way of the front door." Severely. "And -after entering in burglarious fashion you pursued a phantom. The phantom -vanished, leaving you in a compromising position. You expect people to -believe that?" Shaking his head. - -"I should be surprised if they did," answered Bob gloomily. "I suppose -you'll tell everybody to-morrow." - -"That's the question," said the other seriously. "What is my duty in the -matter? I don't want to do you an irreparable injury, yet appearances -certainly seem to indicate that you--" He hesitated. - -"Never mind the Latin for it," said Bob. "Plain Anglo-Saxon will do. -Call me a thief." - -"It's an ugly word," said the other reluctantly, "and--well, I don't -wish to be hasty. My father always told me to help a man whenever I -could; not to shove him down. And maybe--" He paused. There was really a -nice expression on his strong face. - -"Oh, you think I may be only a young offender--a juvenile in crime?" -exclaimed Bob bitterly. - -"The words are your own," observed the other. "To tell you the truth," -seriously, "I hardly know what to think. It is all too -extraordinary--too unexpected. I'll have to ponder on it. The profs, at -college always said I had the champion slow brain. The peculiar part to -me is," that puzzled look returning to his heavy features, "I can't -understand why you're making people think what they do of you? Frankly, -I don't believe you're 'dippy.' You were always rather--just what is the -word?--'mercurial'--yes; that will do. But your head looks right enough -to me." - -"What's the Latin for 'Thank you'?" said Bob. - -"Do you really think this is a trivial matter?" asked the other, bending -a stronger glance upon his visitor. "I believe you are somewhat -obligated to me. Please bear that in mind." With quiet dignity. "As I -was saying, your conduct since coming here, seems to baffle -explanation--that is, the right one. I wonder what is your 'lay,' -anyhow? What's the idea? I like to be able to grasp people." Forcefully. -"And you escape me. I can't get at the tangible in you. Nor"--with a -sudden quick glance--"can Miss Gerald--" - -"Suppose we leave her name out," said Bob sharply. "You've done me a -favor which I ought not to have accepted. And I tell you frankly I'd -rather have accepted it from any one else in the world." - -"I think I understand," replied the other quietly, with no show of -resentment on his heavy features. "Have a cigar?" Indicating a box on -the table. - -"I'd rather not." - -"Very well!" - -For some moments Bob sat in moody silence. Then suddenly he got up. - -"Am I to be permitted to return to my room?" he asked. - -"I believe I told you I would consider your case," said the -hammer-thrower. - -And Bob passed out. He regained his room without mishap, which rather -surprised him. He almost expected to be intercepted by the monocle-man -but nothing of the kind happened. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI--PLAYING WITH BOB - - -It took a great deal of courage for Bob to go down to breakfast the next -morning. In fact, he had never done anything before in his life that -demanded so much courage. He pictured his entrance, anticipating what -would happen; he didn't try to deceive himself. The monocle-man would -tap him on the shoulder. "You are my prisoner," he would say. And then -it would be "exit" for Bob amid the exclamations and in the face of the -accumulated staring of the company. - -Bob wasn't going to play the craven now, though, so he marched -down-stairs and into the breakfast-room, his head well up. With that -smile on his lips and the frosty light in his blue eyes, he looked not -unlike a young Viking fearlessly presenting a bold brow to the enemy -while his ship is sinking beneath him. He acted just as if he hadn't -been away and as if nothing had happened. - -"Good-morning, people," he said in his cheeriest. - -For a moment there was a tombstone silence while Bob, not seeming to -notice it, dropped down in a convenient place at the table. His -vis-a-vis, as luck, or ill-luck would have it, was the monocle-man. Bob -felt the shivers stealing over him. But the monocle-man, too, acted as -if nothing had happened. He didn't get up and tap Bob on the shoulder. -Perhaps he wished to finish his breakfast first. - -"Aw!--Have some toast," he observed to Bob. "Mrs. Ralston's toast is -really delicious." - -"No," said Bob airily. "I don't like that English kind of toast. Makes -me think of rusk! No taste to it! Give me good old American toast with -plenty of butter on it." - -"Aw!" said the monocle-man. - -Bob didn't stop there. He appealed to the bishop and carried the -discussion on to the doctor. He even went so far, a daredevil look in -his sanguine blue eyes now, as to ask Miss Gerald's opinion. Miss -Gerald, however, pretended not to hear. Her devoted admirer was close at -hand and Bob saw the hammer-thrower's brows knit at sight of him. Bob in -his new mood didn't care a straw now and looked straight back at the -hammer-thrower, as if daring him to do his worst. For an instant he -thought the hammer-thrower was going to say something, but he didn't. -Perhaps second thought told him it would be better taste to wait, for he -lifted his heavy shoulders with rather a contemptuous or pitying shrug -and paid no further attention to luckless Bob. - -The latter kept up a gay conversation between bites, professing to be -quite unaware of a certain extraordinary reticence with which his light -persiflage was received. He looked around to see if Gee-gee and Gid-up -were anywhere visible and saw that they were not. This did not surprise -him, as theatrical ladies are usually late risers and like to breakfast -in their rooms; nor would they be apt to mingle promiscuously with the -other guests. Mrs. Ralston, Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence were also not -about. Bob was thankful Mrs. Ralston needed most of the morning by -herself, or with sundry experts, to beautify; he didn't care to see his -hostess just yet. It was hard enough to meet her fair niece, Miss -Gerald, under the circumstances. - -"I understand we have two new arrivals in the professional entertaining -line," said Bob to the monocle-man. - -"Aw!--how interesting!" replied the other. Bob couldn't get much of a -"rise" out of him, though unvaryingly affable in his manner toward the -young man. "Try some of this marmalade--do--it's Scotch, you know. All -marmalade ought to be Scotch. Dislike intensely the English make!" - -"How unpatriotic!" said Bob cynically. Really, the monocle-man did it -very well. He was a fine imitation. - -"Aw!" he said once more. - -And then Bob began to play with him. Dear old dad who was somewhat of a -bibliomaniac had, on one or two of Bob's vacation trips to London, -introduced the lad to many quaint, out-of-the-way nooks and corners. Now -Bob drew on the source of information thus gleaned and angled with his -one-eye-glassed neighbor. But the monocle-man fenced beautifully; he -knew more than Bob. And when the latter had exhausted himself, the -monocle-man, with a few twinkles behind his staring window-pane, played -with Bob. He showed him as a mere child for ignorance of the subject, -and drawled so brilliantly that some of the others became interested, -though professing not to see that Bob was there. When the monocle-man -had finished, Bob felt abashed. He gazed upon the other with new and -wondrous respect. He had attempted the infantile and amateurish game of -unmasking the other--of exhibiting his crass ignorance and letting the -others draw their own conclusions--and he had been literally overwhelmed -in his efforts. - -Having shown Bob the futility of trying to play with him, the -monocle-man again offered Bob the marmalade. His manner of doing it made -Bob think of a jailer who believed in the humane treatment of prisoners -and who liked to see them well-fed. Bob for the second time refused the -marmalade and did it most emphatically. Whereupon the monocle-man -smiled. - -At that moment Bob met the gaze of the temperamental young thing. There -were dark rings under her eyes and she looked paler than he had ever -seen her. Also, there was a certain fascinated wonder, not unmixed with -some deeper feeling, in her expression. She was, no doubt, absolutely -astounded to see Bob there, and talking with the monocle-man. Bob -surmised she would be waiting for him somewhere later to express -herself, and he was not mistaken. Bob got up. As he did so, he glanced -at the monocle-man. Would he be permitted to go, or would the denouement -now happen? Would the other, alas, arise? - -He did nothing of the kind. He let Bob have a little more line. He even -suffered him to walk away, at the same time smiling once more at vacancy -or the rack of toast. Of course the temperamental young thing hailed Bob -shortly after he was out of the room. He expected that. She came -hurrying up to him, excitement and terror in her eyes. - -"Flee!" she whispered. - -"I won't do it," answered Bob sturdily. - -"Why did you come back?" Agitatedly, "What a rash thing to do! Like -walking into the lions' den." - -"Well, the principal lion was nice and polite, anyhow." - -"Could you not see he was only just"--she sought for a word--"dallying -with you?" - -"He made me see that," Bob confessed rather gloomily. "He made me feel -like thirty cents. I guess he's got my goat. And to think I thought him -a blamed fool. I tell you I'm learning something these days; I'm taking -a course they don't have in college, all right." - -"Why do you waste time talking?" said the girl. "Every moment is -precious. Go, or you are lost." - -"That sounds like the stage," replied Bob. - -She came closer, her temperamental gaze burning. "Will this make you -serious?" she asked almost fiercely. "I told." - -"Eh?" - -"I told all," she repeated. - -"You did?" - -"Yes." - -"When?" - -"Last night." - -"Hum!" said Bob. "That makes it a little worse, that is all." - -"I was mad," she said, "at the way you--you--" - -"I think I understand." - -"Why--why don't you get angry and--" - -"And curse you the way they do in plays?" He laughed a little -mirthlessly. "What's the use? It wouldn't do any good if I dragged you -around by the hair." - -"It's just that attitude of yours," she said, breathing hard, "that has -made me perfectly furious." - -"Who'd you tell?" Bob eyed her contemplatively. - -"Lord Stan--The monocle-man, as you call him." - -"Whew!" Bob whistled. "You went straight to headquarters, didn't you?" - -"He came up to me on the porch just after you had left, and--and--" - -"It's quite plain," said Bob gently. "You couldn't hold in. Don't know -as I ought to blame you much." - -"I wish you wouldn't act like that," she returned passionately. "Don't -you hate me?" - -He looked at her from his superior height. "No. Now that I think of it, -you only did the right and moral thing. After all"--he seemed to be -speaking from the hammer-thrower's high judicial plane--"it was your -duty to tell." - -"Duty!" she shot back at him. "I didn't do it for that, or"--with sudden -scorn--"because it was the moral thing. I did it because--because -you--you had hurt me and--and I wanted to hurt you the worst way--the -very worst way I could--" - -"Well, that sounds very human," replied Bob soothingly. "It's the old -law. Eye for an eye! Tit for tat! _Quid pro quo!_" That hammer-thrower -was getting him into the Latin habit. - -"You must not speak like that. You _must_ hate me--despise me--I -betrayed you--betrayed--" - -Bob looked at her sympathetically. She really was suffering. "Oh, no, -you didn't. You only thought you did," he said. - -"I did! I did! And afterward I felt like Salome with the head of John -the Baptist." - -Bob twisted his handsome head and lifted a hand to his neck. "Well, it's -really not so bad as that," he returned in a tone intended to be -consoling. "Anyhow, it's very brave of you to come and tell me about -it." - -"Brave!" she scoffed, the temperamental breast rising. "Why, I just -blurted it all right out--how I discovered you in my room--how I turned -on the light and how you dropped the brooch to the floor!" - -For a few moments both were silent. Then Bob spoke: "How'd it be, if we -called bygones, bygones, and just be friends?" he said gravely. -"Honestly, I believe I could like you an awful lot as a friend." - -"Don't!" she said hoarsely. "Or--or I can't hold in. My! but you are -good." - -"Isn't that the sound of music?" said Bob suddenly. - -"I--I believe it is." - -"A tango, by jove! Think of tangoing right after breakfast! Some one -_is_ beginning early. What are we coming to in these degenerate days?" -Bob wanted to take her thoughts off that other disagreeable subject. His -own sudden and unexpected appearance had, no doubt, been quite upsetting -to those other guests. That tango music had a wild irresponsible sound, -as if the some one who was banging the concert-grand in the big music -salon was endeavoring to turn the general trend of fancy into more -symphonious channels. He, or she, was a musical good Samaritan. Bob held -out a ceremonious arm to the temperamental young thing. "Shall we?" he -said. "Why not?" - -"You mean--?" - -"Tango with me? That is, if you are not above tangoing with a--" - -She slipped an uncertain little hand on his arm. - -"It may be my last, for a long time," he said gaily. "While we live, let -us live." - -But when they entered they saw it was the man with the monocle who sat -at the big, wonderfully carved piano. His fingers were fairly flying; -his face was a bit more twisted up to keep the monocle from falling off, -while he was flinging his hands about over the keys. At sight of him, -the temperamental little thing breathed quickly and would have drawn -back, but Bob drew her forward. The monocle-man's face did not change as -he glanced over his shoulder to regard them; he had a faculty for -hitting the right keys without looking. Bob put a big reassuring arm -about a slim waist. He tangoed only to show the temperamental little -thing that he forgave her. But her feet were not so light as ordinarily -and the dance rather dragged. Once Bob looked down; why, she wasn't much -bigger than a child. - -"Friends?" he asked. - -Her little hand clutched tighter for answer, and the monocle-man played -more madly. It was as if he were making the puppets fly around while he -pulled the strings. He seemed having the best kind of a time. There was -now a whimsical look in his eyes as they followed Bob. - -That was one of the longest days Bob ever knew. The temperamental thing -had told him they were coming to arrest him. Well, why didn't they? His -appearing unexpectedly on the spot like that may have caused them to -change their minds. He included in the "them" Mrs. Ralston and her niece -and he could only conclude they all meant to "dally" with him, in Miss -Dolly's phraseology, a little longer. But surely they had enough -evidence to go right ahead and let justice (?) take its course. What the -temperamental little thing had confessed would be quite sufficient in -itself, for their purpose. - -Bob began to get impatient; he didn't like being "dallied" with. In his -desperate mood, he desired to meet the issue at once and since "it" was -bound to happen, he wanted it to happen right off. Then he would -robustly proclaim his innocence--aye, and fight for it with all his -might. He was in a fighting mood. - -Mrs. Ralston's demeanor toward him--when in the natural order of events -he was obliged to meet that lady--added to his feeling of utter -helplessness. She, like the monocle-man, acted as if nothing had -happened, seeming to see nothing extraordinary or surprising in his -being there. She treated him just as if he hadn't been away and talked -in the most natural manner about the weather or other commonplace -topics. She was graciousness itself, even demanding playfully if he -hadn't thought of any more French compliments? - -Bob stammered he had not. The fact that Miss Gerald was near and -overheard all they said didn't add to his mental composure. Gwendoline's -violet eyes had such a peculiar look. Bob hoped and prayed she would -preserve that manner of cold and haughty aloofness. He wouldn't have -exchanged a word with her now for all the world, if he had had any -choice in the matter. Did she divine his inward shrinking from any -further talk with her? Did she realize she was the one especial person -Bob didn't want to converse with, under the circumstances? It may be she -did so realize; also, that she deliberately sought to add to his -discomfiture. Possibly, she felt no punishment could be too great for -one who had sunk so low as he had. - -At any rate, the day was yet young when, like a proud princess, she -stood suddenly before him. Bob had taken refuge in that summer-house -where she had proposed (ha! ha!) to him. He had been noting that Mrs. -Ralston seemed to have several new gardeners working for her and it had -flashed across his mind that these gardeners were of the monocle-man -type. They were imitation gardeners. One kept a furtive eye on Bob. He -was under surveillance. Now he could understand why the monocle-man let -him flutter this way and that, with seeming unconcern. Oh, he was being -dallied with, sure enough! That monocle-man was argus-eyed. Bob had had -a sample of his cleverness at the breakfast-table. - -Miss Gerald's shadow fell abruptly at Bob's feet. He saw it before he -saw her--a radiant, accusing patrician presence. The girl carried a golf -stick, but there was no caddy in sight. - -"Mr. Bennett," said Miss Gerald, with customary directness, "do you know -who poisoned my aunt's dog?" - -Bob scrambled to his feet awkwardly. Her loveliness alone was enough to -embarrass him. "No," he said. - -"He was poisoned that night you left," she said, and went on studying -him. - -Bob pondered heavily. If the dog had been killed with a golf stick for -example, he might have been to blame. "You are sure he was poisoned?" he -asked with an effort. - -"Certainly." In surprise. - -"Well, I didn't do it," said Bob. - -"Were you in any way responsible for it?" She stood like an angel of the -flaming sword in the doorway, where the sunlight framed her figure. She -rather intoxicated poor Bob. - -"Not to my knowledge," he said. Of course the commodore might have -poisoned the dog, but it was unlikely. Probably that inside-operator, or -his outside pal had "done the deed." A dog would be in their way. - -Miss Gerald considered. "There is another question I should like to ask -you, Mr. Bennett," she said presently. - -"Go on," returned Bob, with dark forebodings. - -"Are you a sleep-walker?" - -"No." - -"Then why do you go wandering around nights when every one else has -retired? Last night, for example?" - -"So that hammer-thrower told you, did he?" remarked Bob. "I thought he -would." - -"Do you blame him?" - -"Oh, I suppose it was his duty." Every one seemed "telling" on Bob just -at present. - -"You do not deny it?" - -"Why should I?" - -"Then we may accept his version of the story?" - -"Yes. I presume it was correct." - -Again Miss Gerald remained thoughtful and Bob glanced out toward the -gardeners. One of them seemed to have edged nearer. Bob smiled a little -glumly. After having caught him in the web, the spiders were now winding -the strands around and around him. Spiders do that when they don't want -to devour their victim right off. They mummify the victim, as it were, -and tuck him away for the morrow. - -"Why"--the accusing presence was again speaking--"did you go down-stairs -that first night of your arrival, after all the household had retired?" - -Bob would have given a great deal not to answer that, but he had to. "I -was showing some people out." - -"Your accomplices?" - -"They might be called that." Miserably. He wouldn't "give away" Dan and -the others, unless he had to--unless truth compelled him to designate -them by name as his accomplices. - -"Are you aware, Mr. Bennett, of the seriousness of your answer?" - -"Yes, I know. But how did you know--that I went down-stairs?" - -"I thought I heard some one go down. And then I got up and you went by -my door, and I looked out, ever so quietly. You went in Dolly's room and -she woke up and caught you trying to take her brooch." - -Bob was silent. What was the use of talking? - -"Well, why don't you speak?" - -"It is true I went in Miss Dolly's room, but I thought it was my room," -said Bob monotonously. "It was a mistake." And Bob told how the brooch -happened to fall to the floor. Strange to say, truth didn't ring in his -accents. He hadn't much confidence at that moment in the old saw that -truth is mighty and will prevail. Truth wasn't mighty; it was a monster -that sucked your heart's blood. And Bob gazed once more with that -famished look upon Miss Gerald. He found her a joy to the eye. Though -she stood in a practical pose, the curves of her gracious and proud -young figure were like ardent lines of poetry in a matutinal and -passionate hymn to beauty. And Bob's lips straightway yearned to sing -hexameters to loveliness in the abstract--and in the flesh--instead of -plodding along half-heartedly through unconvincing and purposeless -explanations. - -"You certainly do look fine to-day!" burst from Bob. It wasn't exactly a -hexameter nor yet an iambic mode of expression. But it had to come out. - -Roses blossomed on the girl's proud cheek. Bob's explosive and -uncontrollable ardency would have been disconcerting, under any -circumstances, but under such as those of the present--Miss Gerald's -eyes flashed. - -"Isn't--isn't that rather irrelevant?" she said after a moment's pause. - -"I--yes, I guess it is," confessed Bob, and his head slowly fell. He -looked at the hard marble pavement. - -A moment the girl stood with breast stirring, like an indignant goddess. -"Have you--have you any information to volunteer?" she said at length -icily. - -"Oh, I don't have to volunteer," answered Bob. And then rushed on to a -Niagara of disaster. "Why don't you ask that hammer-thrower? I suppose -you'd believe _anything_"--he couldn't keep back the bitter -jealousy--"he tells you." - -An instant eyes met eyes. Bob's now were stubborn, if forlorn and -miserable. They braved the indignant, outraged violet ones. He even -laughed, savagely, moodily. What would he not have given if she would -only believe him, instead of--? But it was not to be. Yet this girl had -his very soul. His miserable and forlorn eyes told her that. Whose eyes -would have turned first, in that visual contest is a matter of -uncertainty, for just then the enthusiastic voice of Gee-gee was heard -"through the land." - -"Why, Mr. Bennett--you here? So glad to see you!" - -Bob forgot all about heroics. Gee-gee drifted in as if she were greeting -an old and very dear friend, instead of a casual acquaintance, upon -whom, indeed, she had rather forced herself, on a certain memorable -evening. Bob wilted. When he recovered a little, Miss Gerald was gone. -Below them the gardener who had caught Bob's eye now drew a bit nearer. -Bob turned on Gee-gee. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII--A GOOD DEAL OF GEE-GEE - - -"See here," he said rather savagely, "this has got to stop." - -Gee-gee stared. "Bless its little heart, what is it talking about?" - -"You know," said Bob. The fact that he now saw Gwendoline Gerald -rejoined afar by the hammer-thrower did not improve his temper. - -"Pardon me," returned Gee-gee, tossing her auburn hair, "if I fail to -connect. Mrs. Ralston has been good enough to treat us as her regular -guests. And, indeed, why shouldn't she?" With much dignity. "But if you -feel I ain't good enough to speak to your Lord Highmightiness, except at -stage doors and alleys and roof gardens--" Cuttingly. - -"This isn't a question of social amenities," said Bob. Gee-gee didn't -know what "amenities" meant and that made _her_ madder. "You've come -down here to raise a regular hornet's nest." - -Gee-gee sat down. She was so mad she had to do something. She wanted to -slap Bob's face, but she couldn't do that. As Mrs. Ralston's guest she -couldn't give way to her natural and primitive impulses. Her gown, -modishly tight all over, strained almost to bursting point; it seemed to -express the state of her feelings. A high-heeled shoe, encasing a -pink-stockinged foot, agitated itself like a flag in a gale. - -"I like that," she gasped. "And who are you to talk to me like that? -Maybe you think this is a rehearsal." - -"For argument's sake, I'll own I'm not much account just at present," -said Bob. "Be that as it may, I'm going to try to stop the mischief you -are up to, if I can." He didn't know how he would stop it; he was -talking more to draw Gee-gee out than for any other purpose. Bob's own -testimony, as to certain occurrences on that memorable roof-garden -evening, wouldn't amount to much. The lawyers could impeach it even if -they let him (Bob) testify at all in those awful divorce cases that were -pending. But they probably wouldn't let him take the witness-stand if he -was a prisoner. Bob didn't know quite what was the law governing the -admissibility of testimony in a case like his. - -Gee-gee shifted her mental attitude. She was getting her second breath -and caution whispered to her to control herself. This handsome young -gentleman had been the most indifferent member of the quartet on that -inauspicious occasion on the roof; indeed, he had yawned in the midst of -festivities. Bob, in love, cared not for show-girls or ponies. He had -even tried to discourage Dan and the others in their zest for innocent -enjoyment. Gee-gee now eyed Bob more critically. As a -young-man-sure-of-himself, he had impressed her on that other occasion! -Instinct had told her to avoid Bob and select Dan. Now that same -instinct told her it might be better to temporize with this -blunt-speaking young gentleman--to "sound" him. - -"You sure have got me floating," observed Gee-gee in more lady-like -accents. "I'm way up in the air. Throw out a few sand-bags and let's hit -the earth." - -"That's easy," said Bob. "Do you deny you're down here to raise Ned?" - -"Do I deny it?" remarked Gee-gee with flashing eyes. "Do I? We are down -here to fill a little professional engagement. We are down here on -account of our histrionic talents." A sound came from Bob's throat. -Gee-gee professed not to notice it. "We are paid a fee--not a small -one--to come down here, to do privately our little turn which was the -hit of the piece and the talk of Broadway." - -"Bosh!" said Bob coolly. Gee-gee looked dangerous. Once more the -pink-stockinged ankle began to swing agitatedly, and again reckless Bob -narrowly escaped a slap in the face. "Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence got -Mrs. Ralston to ask you down here," he went on. "You weren't asked on -account of your histrionic ability. You were asked because it was the -only feasible way to get you beyond other strong, I may even say -desperate, and to them, inimical influences. Mrs. Ralston isn't the only -one who is financing your little rural expedition. I guess you know what -I mean?" - -"Nix!" said Gee-gee. "You've got me up in the air again. Turn the little -wheel around and let the car come down. This ain't Sunday, and if I was -taking a little Coney-Island treat, I wouldn't choose you for my -escort." - -"It certainly isn't Sunday in the sense of a day of rest," remarked Bob -gloomily. By this time the hammer-man and Miss Gerald were beyond his -range of vision. But he would not think of them; he must not. He had a -duty to perform here; maybe it would do no good, but it was his duty to -try. "That publicity racket is all right up to a certain point," he -said, bending his reproachful eyes upon Gee-gee. "But when it comes to -smashing reputations, stretching the truth, and injuring others -irreparably--all for a little cheap nauseating notoriety--Well"--Bob hit -straight from the shoulder--"I tell you it's rotten. And I, for one, -shall do what I can to show up the whole conspiracy. That's what it is. -It would be different if you were going to tell what was so, but you -aren't. It isn't in the cards." - -"I don't know what you're talking about." Gee-gee's tight dress nearly -exploded now. The blood had receded from her face and left it a mottled -cream while her greenish eyes glowed like opals. Her expression was -animalistic. It seemed to say she would like to crush something beneath -those high heels and grind them into it. - -"Yes, you do," said Bob. "And it will be a frame-up for poor old Dan and -Clarence, too!" Dickie's description of what was going to happen -recurred to him poignantly. "I tell you it's a wicked cruel thing to do. -I repeat, it's rotten." - -If he thought he could overwhelm Gee-gee by a display of superior -masculine strength and moral force, he was mistaken. Gee-gee wasn't that -kind of a girl. She had some force herself, though whether of the moral -kind is another matter. - -"'Wicked!' 'Rotten!' 'Cheap!'" she repeated slowly, but breathing hard. -"Listen to the infant! 'Rotten!'" She lingered on the word as if it had -a familiar sound. "Well, what is life, anyhow?" she flung out suddenly -at the six-foot "infant." "Maybe you think this theater business is like -going to Sunday-school--that all we have to do is to hold goody-goody -hands and sing those salvation songs! Salvation! Gee!" And Gee-gee -folded her arms. She seemed to meditate. "You know what kind of -salvation a girl gets down on old Broadway?" she scoffed. "Aren't the -men nice and kind? Don't they take you by the hand and say: 'Come on, -little girl, I'll give you a helping hand.' Oh, yes, they give you a -helping hand. But it isn't 'up.' It's all 'down.' And every one wants to -see how deep they can make it. Say, Infant, I was born in one of those -avenues with letters. People like these"--looking toward the -house--"don't know nothing about that kind of an avenue. It ought to be -called a rotten alley. That's where I learned what 'rotten' meant. Nice -young gentlemen like you who toddled about with nursie in the park can't -tell _me_." - -Bob tried not to look small; he endeavored to maintain his dignity. He -was almost sorry he had got Gee-gee started. The conversation was -leading into unexpected channels. "Why, I toddled about in rottenness," -went on Gee-gee. "Gutters were my playground." Dreamily. She seemed to -be forgetting her resentment in these childhood recollections. -"Sometimes I slept in cellar doorways, with the rotten cabbages all -around. But they and all the rest of the spoiled things seemed to agree -with me. I've thrived on rottenness, Infant!" Bob winced. "It's all that -some girls get. Men!" And Gee-gee laughed. Here was a topic she could -dilate on. Again the opal eyes gleamed tigerishly. "I've got a lot of -cause to love 'em. Oh, ain't they particular about _their_ reputations!" -Gee-gee's chuckle was fiendish. "Poor, precious little dears! Be careful -and don't get a teeny speck of smudge on their snowy white wings! My! -look out! don't splash 'em! Or, if you do, rub it off quick so the -people in church won't see it. But when it comes to us"--Gee-gee showed -her teeth. "I learned when I was in the gutter that I had to fight. -Sometimes I had to fight with dogs for a crust. Sometimes with boys who -were worse still. Later, with men who were worst of all. And," said -Gee-gee, again tossing her auburn mane, "I'm still fighting, Infant!" - -"Which means," said Bob slowly, overlooking these repeated insults to -his dignity, "you aren't here just to exhibit those histrionic talents -you talked about?" - -Gee-gee laughed. She was feeling better-natured now that she had -relieved herself by speaking of some of those "wrongs" she and her sex -had undoubtedly to endure. There were times when Gee-gee just had to -moralize; it was born in her to do so. And she liked particularly to -grill the men, and after the grilling--usually to the receptive and -sympathetic Gid-up--she particularly liked, also, to go out and angle -for one. And after he had taken the hook--the deeper the better--Gee-gee -dearly loved the piscatorial sport that came later, of watching the -rushes, the wild turnings, the frenzied leaps. - -She even began to eye the infant now with sleepy green eyes. But no hook -for him! He wasn't hungry. He wouldn't even smell of a bait. Gee-gee -felt this, having quite an instinct in such matters. Perhaps experience, -too, had helped make her a good fisherwoman. So she didn't even bother -making any casts for Bob. But she answered him sweetly enough, having -now recovered her poise and being more sure of her ground: - -"It doesn't mean anything of the sort. Our act has been praised in a -number of the newspapers, I would have you understand." - -"All right," said Bob, as strenuously as he was capable of speaking. "I -only wanted you to know that between you and me it will be--fight!" - -This was sheer bluff, but he thought it might deter Gee-gee a little. It -might curb just a bit that lurid imagination of hers. - -Gee-gee got up now, laughing musically. Also, she showed once more her -white teeth. Then she stretched somewhat robust arms. - -"Fight with you?" she scoffed. "Why, you can't fight, Infant! You -haven't grown up yet." - -Bob had the grace to blush and Gee-gee, about to depart, noticed it. He -looked fresh and big and nice to her at that moment, so nice, indeed, -that suddenly she did throw out a bait--one of her most brilliant -smiles, supplemented by a speaking, sleepy glance. But Bob didn't see -the bait. He was like a fish in a pool too deep for her line. Gee-gee -shrugged; then she walked away. Snip! That imitation gardener was now -among the vines, right underneath where Bob was sitting. - - * * * * * - -Gee-gee's little act was better than Bob expected it would be. She sang -a French song with no more vulgarity than would mask as piquancy and the -men applauded loudly. Gee-gee was a success. Gid-up put hers "over," -too; then together they did a few new dances not ungracefully. Mrs. -Dan's face was rather a study. She was an extremist on the sex question -and would take the woman's side against the man every time. -Theoretically, she would invite injured innocence right into camp. She -reversed that old humbug saying, "The woman did tempt me;" according to -her philosophy, man, being naturally not so good as a woman, was -entitled to shoulder the bulk of the blame. But when she looked at -Gee-gee she may have had her doubts. - -She may even have regretted being instrumental in bringing her here at -all. And it is not unlikely that Mrs. Clarence may have entertained a -few secret regrets also, and doubts as to the application of a -broad-minded big way of looking at certain things pertaining to her own -sex, when she beheld her of the saucy turned-up nose and brazen freckle. -Certain it is, both Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence looked more serious and -thoughtful than jubilant. They didn't applaud; they just seemed to, -bringing their hands together without making a noise. But both ladies -were now committed to the inevitable. Gee-gee and Gid-up, displaying -their "histrionic talents," were but calculated to make Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence the more determined to pursue the matter to the bitter -end. Among the guests now was a certain legal light. His presence there -at this particular time--when the two G's adorned the festivities--might -be a mere coincidence; on the other hand it might signify much. He had -certainly spent a long time that afternoon talking to Gee-gee and -Gid-up. Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence came in contact with them only by -proxy. - -Bob was a deeply pained spectator of the wordless drama that was being -enacted. He, alone, besides those directly involved, knew the tragedy -lurking behind the mocking face of comedy. That gay music sounded to Bob -like a fugue. He could well believe what it was costing Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence to attain their purpose. They weren't enjoying themselves. -It was altogether a miserable business, and almost made Bob forget his -own tragedy. A little incident, however, brought the latter once more -vividly to mind. - -It occurred while Gee-gee, in answer to applause at the conclusion of -her dance with Gid-up, was singing another of those risque, French cafe -chantant songs. Bob sat next to the temperamental little thing who was -behaving with exemplary consistency. She had been comporting herself in -strictly comrade-fashion ever since their last talk, not once overdoing -the little chum act. She hadn't asked him for a single kiss or to put -his arm about her waist in dark corners. Perhaps she was too anxious on -his account for sentimental considerations. She couldn't understand the -way things were going--that is, things pertaining to Bob. - -"Why _don't_ they?" once she whispered to Bob. - -He knew what she meant--arrest him? He shook his head. "Dallying," he -answered. - -"I could just scratch his eyes out," she murmured with excess of -loyalty. - -"Whose?" - -"That monocle-man. You know what I did this afternoon?" - -"No." Bob, however, surmised it would be something interesting. - -"I went up to that monocle-man and told him every word I had said to him -the night before wasn't so." - -"You did?" Staring at her. - -"Yes, I did." Setting her cherry lips firmly. "I told him I was just -trying to fool him and that I would never--never--never testify to such -rubbish, if called on to do so." - -"But you'll have to," said Bob. "You've got to tell the truth." - -"I'd tell whoppers by the bushel to help you," she confided to him -unblushingly. "That's the kind of a friend I am." - -"But I wouldn't have you. I wouldn't let you," he murmured in mild -consternation. "Great Scott! they'd have you up for perjury." - -"Oh, no, they wouldn't. I'd do it so cleverly." - -"But the monocle-man would testify, too." - -"Who do you think a jury would rather believe, me or him?" she demanded -confidently. "Especially if I was all dressed up and looked at them, all -the time I was testifying." - -"Well," said Bob, "I don't believe you could do it, anyhow. Besides, it -would be stretching friendship too far. Though you're a jolly little pal -to offer to!" She hunched a dainty little shoulder against his strong -arm. - -"I'd go through fire and water for you," breathed the jolly little pal. - -"It's fine of you to say it," answered Bob fervently. "I haven't many -friends now, you know. But--but it's impossible, what you propose. It -would only get you into trouble. I'd be a big brute to allow that. It -would make me out a fine pal, wouldn't it? Besides, it wouldn't do any -good. Some one else heard me go into your room and knows all about it. -Some one else would fortify what the monocle-man would tell. And her -testimony and his would overwhelm yours. And I'd never forgive myself -for your being made a victim of your own loyalty." - -"Was that some one else Miss Gerald?" asked the jolly little pal -quickly. - -"Yes," said Bob. As he spoke he glanced toward Miss Gerald. - -Gee-gee had now started to sing and nearly every one's head was turned -toward the vivacious vocalist. Bob saw Miss Gerald's proud profile. He -saw, too, the hammer-thrower, next to her, as usual. On the other side -of the hammer-thrower--the side nearer where Gee-gee stood--was the lady -who had given Bob the "cold shoulder" a few nights ago at dinner. The -hammer-thrower's eyes were naturally turned toward that cold shoulder -now, and, as naturally, his gaze should have been bent over it, toward -the vocal center of attraction for the moment. - -But his gaze had stopped at the shoulder, or something on it. Bob noted -that look. For a fraction of a minute, or second, it revealed a sudden -new odd intensity as it rested on a lovely string of pearls ornamenting -the cold shoulder. And at the same instant a wave of light seemed to -sweep over Bob. For that fraction of a minute he seemed strangely, -amazingly, to have been afforded a swift glimpse into a soul. - -The whole thing was psychic. Bob couldn't have told just how he came to -know. But he knew. He was sure now who had taken Mrs. Vanderpool's -brooch. Strangely, too, the hammer-thrower, after that fraction of a -second's relaxation of vigilance over his inner secret self, should have -turned and looked straight toward Bob. His look was now heavy, normal. -Bob's was burning. - -"You!" his eyes said as plainly as if he had called out the word. - -The hammer-thrower's face did not change in the least; nor did his look. -He turned his eyes toward the singer with heavy nonchalance and never -had his face appeared more honest and trustworthy. - -"Oh, you beauty!" murmured Bob admiringly. - -"Do you really think she is?" asked the jolly little pal. She thought -Bob meant Gee-gee. "Is that the style you like?" - -"Thinking of something else," said Bob. - -"Some one, you mean?" with slight reproach. - -"Pals aren't jealous," he reminded her. "Besides, it was a man." - -"Oh!" she said wonderingly. - - "For life is but a game of hide-and-seek," - -sang Gee-gee, in the rather execrable French some one had drilled into -her. - -"Come and catch me," was the refrain. - -Bob shook his head. He didn't want to play at that game. But life was a -game of hide-and-seek, all right. He permitted himself the luxury of -smiling as he once more looked over at the hammer-thrower and applauded -Gee-gee. Odd, the idea of the hammer-thrower being that person he (Bob) -was supposed to be, had never occurred to the latter! But no one ever -would suspect that face! "My face is my fortune, sir," he might have -said. The hammer-thrower caught Bob's smile. - -"'Come and catch me,'" reiterated Gee-gee. - -That might be applicable to the hammer-thrower. Bob, for the moment, -felt as happy as a child who has discovered the solution of a puzzle. So -that when Miss Gerald deigned casually to glance at him, she was -surprised at his new expression. It seemed a long while since Bob had -looked happy, but now he looked almost like his old self. Was it the -near presence of the temperamental young thing that had wrought this -change, Miss Gerald might well have asked herself. - -Violet eyes looked now into temperamental dark ones. Gwendoline, too, -was smiling--at the song. But it was that cryptic kind of a smile once -more. Bob's smile was a rather large cryptic counterpart of Miss -Gerald's. The temperamental little thing, though, didn't smile. She -seemed reading Miss Gerald's soul. She was dropping a plumb-line deep -down into it. - -Then Miss Gerald turned again to the hammer-thrower, who talked to her -just as if Bob hadn't seen anything, or imagined he had. Gee-gee sat -down, at the same time condescending to bestow upon Bob a triumphal -look. He had dared to scoff at her histrionic talent, had he? Well, she -had shown him--and them. Maybe with a little publicity, she would become -a star of dazzling magnitude. At that moment, the world looked bright to -Gee-gee. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII--A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY - - -What a merry mad wag that hammer-thrower really must be at heart! -thought Bob. How he was chuckling inside, or laughing in his sleeve most -of the time while he went around with that heavy, serious, reliable -visage of his! And that ponderous manner?--What lively little imps of -mischief or fancy it concealed! That simulated slow tread, too?--Bob -surmised he could get around pretty fast on occasions, if he wanted to, -or had to. He was dancing very seriously with Miss Gerald now, seeming -to take dancing as a kind of a moral lesson. Oh, that "duty talk" to -Bob! He would "consider" Bob's case!--He wanted to ponder over it--he? -And how painfully in earnest he had been when he had sprung what his -father had said about not giving a fellow a shove when he was down! - -Bob disentangled himself as soon as he could from the temperamental -little thing and went into the billiard room, where he began to toy with -the ivories. If there was one thing he could do, it was play billiards. -But he retired to the seclusion of the billiard room now principally for -the reason that he expected the hammer-thrower would follow him there. -He felt almost sure the other would seek him. So, though Bob proceeded -to execute one or two fancy shots with much skill, his thoughts were not -on the ivories. He was considering his position in relation to the -hammer-thrower. He (Bob) might entertain a profound conviction regarding -the latter's profession, but could he prove anything? - -True, he now remembered and could point out that the latter had attended -all those functions where losses had occurred. But that wasn't in itself -particularly significant. Other people, also, had attended all the -functions in question. Bob couldn't even actually swear he had seen the -other in his room when he had dropped something from Bob's window to -some one lurking below. Bob hadn't had the chance to recognize him on -that occasion. As far as evidence went, the "boot was all on the other -leg." The hammer-thrower was obviously in a position to use Bob to pull -chestnuts out of the fire for him. - -But why had he not denounced Bob to the entire household, then and -there, when he had discovered him before Gee-gee's door? Perhaps the -hammer-thrower didn't yet know that any one knew there had been -substituted one or two imitation articles of jewelry for real ones. If -this were so, then from his point of view a denunciation of Bob might -lead to an investigation which would reveal the fact that substitutions -had occurred and in consequence he would be but curtailing the period of -his own future activities in this decidedly fertile field. He hadn't, of -course, refrained through any feeling of charity or commiseration for -Bob. He had, moreover, paved the way to use Bob in the future, if need -be, by discreetly mentioning the incident to Miss Gerald. Bob might -prove serviceable as an emergency man. All this had no doubt been -floating through the hammer-thrower's brain while he had stood there -with that puzzled, aggrieved and righteous expression. - -A slight sound behind him caused Bob to turn quickly and, as he had -expected, he beheld the hammer-thrower. Here was renewed confirmation of -that which he had just learned. - -"I felt it my duty to inform Miss Gerald of what occurred last night," -began the hammer-thrower without prelude. - -"I know that already," said Bob, continuing his play. - -"Ah, then I am wasting time. But having concluded that it was incumbent -on me to take that course, I thought it but right to come to you and -tell you what I had done. Square thing, you know." - -Bob grinned. "Say it in Latin," he observed flippantly. - -A slight frown gathered on the other's brow. "I really fail to -understand. You placed me in an unpleasant position. It was not easy to -speak of such a matter." - -"Then why did you?" said Bob lightly, executing a difficult play. - -"You do not seem to realize there are some things we have to do." - -"Duty, eh?" observed Bob with another grin. - -"Without wishing to pose as puritanical, or as a prig, I may say you -have hit the nail fairly on the head." - -"Oh, you aren't a prig," said Bob. "You're a lu-lu." - -"I don't know whether you mean to be complimentary or not," returned the -hammer-thrower with unvarying seriousness. "As I believe I have remarked -before, you appear totally not to comprehend your own position. I might -have awakened the house and what would have been your status then? There -have of late been so many mysterious burglaries at large country-houses -and in the big city homes of the affluent that a guest, found rambling -about in pajamas at unseemly hours, courts, to put it mildly, suspicion. -Anyhow, for my own protection, I had to speak to Miss Gerald. You see -that, don't you? We'll waive the moral side." - -"'Your own protection' is good," said Bob, sending his ball twice around -the table and complacently observing the result. - -"I mean that if it became known that I had secreted you in my room and -said nothing about it, it would, in a measure, place me in the light of -being an accomplice," returned the hammer-thrower, ignoring the point in -Bob's last words. "I don't know whether anything will be discovered -missing here or not, but if there should be--?" - -"Things will be discovered missing, all right," returned Bob. "What was -that you dropped out of the window in my room last night?" - -The hammer-thrower stared at him. "I?--your room?" he said at length -very slowly, with the most genuine amazement written all over his -serious reliable features. - -"You! My room!" repeated Bob. "You didn't expect me to come back. I gave -you quite a surprise, didn't I? You are certainly some sprinter." - -Still the hammer-thrower continued to stare. "Mad!" he said at last. "I -hardly credited it before, but now--That private sanatorium!--No doubt, -it was best." - -Bob laughed. "That sanatorium fits in fine, doesn't it? You'll be trying -the little abduction act next, yourself, I suppose." - -"I'm trying to make up my mind whether you aren't really a dangerous -person to be at large," said the hammer-man heavily. "You might say -something like that to some one else. You appear absolutely -irresponsible." - -"I might," observed Bob tentatively. Oh, if he only could! - -"However, I hardly think you will," remarked the other in his heaviest -manner. "By the way, you play pretty good billiards." - -"Thanks awfully. Want to play?" - -"Don't mind." And the hammer-thrower took down a cue. - -"I should dearly like to beat you," said Bob in wistful tones. - -"And I should as dearly like not to be beaten by you, or any one else," -returned the other. - -"I know," conceded Bob, not without a touch of admiration, "you're a -great chap for winning prizes and things. You've taken no end of cups, -haven't you? I mean, legitimately." - -"Yes; I usually go in to win." The other professed not to hear Bob's -last words. - -"And you've been feted some, in consequence, too, haven't you?" said Bob -suddenly. "You were at the Duke of Somberland's, I remember." Meaningly. -He remembered, too, that articles of great value had disappeared from -the duke's place at the same time. - -"I believe I was. Met no end of interesting people!" - -"And weren't you at Lord Tumford's?" Bob recalled reading how jewels had -mysteriously vanished in the case of Lord Tumford's guests, also. - -"Yes, got asked over for the shooting. Believe I did very well for an -American not accustomed to the British method of slaughter." - -"No doubt," said Bob. The hammer-thrower was getting bigger in his way -every moment. Now he had become an operator of international importance. - -"Speaking about winning, you were on the losing team at college, weren't -you?" he observed significantly. - -"Quite so!" answered Bob. "We worked awfully hard and ought to have won, -but fate, I guess, was against us." - -"We," said the hammer-man in his ponderous way, "are fate. Arbiters of -our destinies! We succeed, or we don't. And when we fail, it is we that -fail. Fate hasn't anything to do with it." - -"Maybe you're right," assented Bob. "I don't know. Anyhow, it's a test -of true sportsmanship to know how to lose." - -"Not to whine, you mean? True. But it's better not to lose. Now go ahead -and try to beat me." - -Bob tried his best. He let the other name the game and the number of -points, and for a time it was nip and tuck. Once Bob ran a string of -seventy. Then the hammer-thrower made one hundred and one. His playing -was brilliant. Some of the heaviness seemed to have departed from his -big frame. His steps nearly matched Bob's for litheness while his big -fingers handled the cue almost daintily. All the inner force of the man -seemed focused on the task of winning. He had made up his mind he -couldn't lose. Bob was equally determined, too, not to lose. - -The game seemed symbolical of that bigger game they were playing as -adversaries, and more and more Bob realized here was an opponent not to -be despised. He was resourceful, delicate, subtle, as he permitted Bob -now to gaze behind that shield of heaviness. He had never before -exhibited his real self at the table, playing heretofore in ponderous -fashion, but this time, perhaps, he experienced a secret delight in -tantalizing an enemy. Those big fingers seemed capable of administering -a pretty hard squeeze when the hour arrived; they might even not -hesitate at a death-clutch. The game now was very close. - -"Shall we make it a thousand for the winner?" suggested the -hammer-thrower. - -"Haven't that much," said Bob. "Only got about seven dollars and a half, -or so." - -"I'll bet you seven dollars and a half, then." - -Bob accepted, and immediately had a run of luck. He was within two -points of being out. The hammer-thrower had about fifty to go. - -"Get that seven dollars and a half ready," he said easily as he began -his play. - -"Maybe I shan't have to," replied Bob. - -"Yes, you will." He spoke as one not capable of making mistakes about -what he could do. And he didn't make a mistake this time. He ran out. -Bob paid with as good grace as he could. Then the hammer-thrower moved -heavily away and left Bob alone. - -The latter didn't feel quite so jubilant now over his secret knowledge -as he had a little earlier. The hammer-thrower had permitted him to test -his mettle--indeed, he had deliberately put himself out to do so, and -make Bob realize even more thoroughly that he might just about as well -not know anything for all the good it would do him (Bob). His lips might -as well be sealed, as far as his being able to prove anything; if he did -speak, people would answer as the hammer-thrower had. "Mad!" Or worse! -That sanatorium incident was certainly unfortunate. - -Bob put his hand in his pocket to get his handkerchief to wipe a few -drops of perspiration from his brow. He drew out his handkerchief, but -he also drew out something else--something hard--that glittered-a -ring--a beautiful one--with perfect blue white diamonds--a ring he -remembered having seen on certain occasions adorning one of Miss -Gerald's fingers. - -Bob stared at it. He stood like one frozen to the spot. That hammer-man -had done more than beat him at billiards. While he (Bob) had extended a -portion of his person over the table to execute difficult shots the -other had found it an easy trick to slip Miss Gerald's ring in the -coat-tail pocket of Bob's garment. Could you exceed that for diabolical -intention? Now what on earth was Bob to do with Miss Gerald's ring? - -He couldn't keep it and yet he didn't want to throw away her property. -It seemed as if he would be forced to, though. After an instant's -hesitation he made up his mind that he would toss it out of the window -and then write her anonymously where it could be found. The hammer-man -hadn't calculated Bob would discover it on his person so soon, or -perhaps he had told himself the odds were against Bob's discovering it -at all. He would, of course, have preferred that others should discover -it on Bob. The latter now strode to the window; the glittering ring -seemed fairly to burn his fingers. He raised the curtain as softly as he -could--the window was already open--and then suddenly started back. - -The light from within, shining on the garden, revealed to him with -disconcerting abruptness a man's face. The man sprang back with -considerable celerity, but not before Bob had recognized in him that -confounded maniac-medico. He had tracked Bob here, but not wishing to -create a scene among Mrs. Ralston's guests, was no doubt waiting outside -with his assistants and the first time Bob stepped out of the house, he -expected to nab him. All the while Bob had been playing billiards, that -miserable maniac-medico had probably been spying upon him, peeping from -under the curtain. - -Bob moved from the window, the ring still in his fingers, and at this -inopportune moment, the monocle-man walked in. He seemed to have timed -his coming to a nicety. Perhaps he had noticed that little episode at -the window. Bob, in a panic, thrust the ring hurriedly into his -waistcoat pocket and tried to face the other without showing undue -agitation, but he feared guilt was written all over his countenance. - -"Hot," muttered Bob. "Thought a breath of fresh air would do me good." - -"Quite so. We English believe in plenty of fresh air," returned the -monocle-man, just as if he swallowed the reason the other had given for -going to the window. - -But after that Bob couldn't get rid of him. It was as if he knew -something was wrong and that Bob needed watching. He began to fool with -the balls, telling how hard it was for him to get accustomed to these -small American tables. The British game was far better, he went on, all -the while keeping his eyes pretty closely on Bob, until the latter got -desperate and went back to where people were. But the monocle-man went, -too. By this time Bob was convinced the other knew what was in his -pocket. "Caught with the goods!" That's the way the yellow press would -describe his predicament. - -"Aren't you the regular hermit-crab?" It was the temperamental little -thing's reproachful voice that at this point broke in upon his sorrowful -meditations, and Bob turned to her quickly. At the moment he was awfully -glad she had come up. "What have you been doing?" she went on. - -"Oh, just rolling the balls. Will you dance?" Eagerly. - -"Can't! Engaged. You should have asked me sooner and not run away." Then -perhaps she saw how disappointed Bob looked or caught that desperate -expression in his eyes, for she added: "Yes, I will. Can say I was -engaged to you first and forgot. Come on." - -Bob did. He was a little afraid the monocle-man might not let him, but -the other permitted him to dance. Perhaps he wouldn't have done so if he -had known what was in Bob's mind. That young man felt as if he had now -truly reached his last ditch. - -"Say, I'm in an awful hole," he breathed to the temperamental little -thing, as they glided over the floor. - -"Are you?" She snuggled closer. "Anything worse than has been?" - -"A heap worse! I've got something I simply must get rid of." - -"What is it?" she said in a thrilling whisper. - -"A ring." Hoarsely. - -"No. Whose?" - -"Miss Gerald's." More hoarsely still. - -"How wildly exciting! Though I didn't think you would rob her." In an -odd voice. - -"I didn't." - -"But you say you've got her ring?" - -"Some one put it in my pocket." - -"Isn't it the funny little hermit-crab, though!" she answered. - -"Well, never mind whether you believe me or not. The point is, I've got -to get rid of it and I can't. That monocle-man is watching me. I need -help." - -"Mine?" Snuggling once more. - -"Yours. Will you do it?" - -"Didn't I tell you I'd go through fire and water for you? Am I not now -your eternal and everlasting chum? Say it." - -"What?" - -"That jolly-little-pal talk." - -"Jolly little pal!" he breathed in her ear. - -She sighed happily. "Now what do you want me to do?" - -"I want you to take this ring"--slipping it into her fingers--"and -return it to Miss Gerald's room. You can slip in without attracting any -attention. Besides no one would think anything of your going in her -room, even if you were seen doing so--you're such friends." - -"But," she said wonderingly, "I don't see why you took it at all if--" -She broke off--"Unless that monocle-man knows you've got it on you?" - -"That's the point," observed Bob hoarsely. - -"All right," she assented. "I'll do it. When?" - -"Now." - -"No," she said firmly. "Not until our dance is over. I want every bit of -it. That's--that's my salary. My! I feel awful wicked with that ring in -my hand. You can take a firmer hold of me if you want--the way you did -that first day! I need reassuring!" - -Bob laughed in spite of himself, but he reassured "jolly little pal," in -the manner indicated. - -"Now just fly around," she said. - -And Bob "flew" with a recklessness that satisfied even her. When it was -over she turned to him with an odd look. - -"I've got another condition." - -"What is it?" - -"That you ask Miss Gerald to dance!" - -"But--" he began, disconcerted as well as surprised. - -"That's the condition." - -"She would only refuse." Gloomily. - -"Do you agree?" There was something almost wistful in the temperamental -eyes of little pal at that moment. - -"I--can't." Desperately. - -"Very well. Take back the--" - -"All right. I will," Bob half-groaned. - -As he walked over toward Gwendoline Gerald, he saw the temperamental -little thing moving toward the stairway. Half-way up, she stopped and -looked back over the banister. Perhaps she wanted to see if Bob was -fulfilling his part of the contract. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX--BOB FORGETS HIMSELF - - -"Miss Gerald," said Bob as formally as if he were quoting from one of -those deportment books, "may I have the pleasure of this dance?" - -Her reply was at variance with what "How to Behave in the Best Society" -taught young ladies to say. "Why do you ask?" said Gwendoline Gerald -quietly. - -"Got to," said Bob. - -"Why have you got to?" - -"I promised I would." - -"Who made you promise?" - -Bob told. - -"Do you have to do what she tells you?" - -"In this instance." - -"Of course you know what my reply will be?" - -"I told her you would refuse." - -"You would hardly expect me to dance with you after all I know about -you, would you?" There was still that deadly quietness in her tones. - -"All you think you know about me," Bob had the courage to correct her. -"Of course not." - -"Some one has taken one of my rings," observed Miss Gerald even more -quietly. - -"I haven't got it," exclaimed Bob. "Honest!" Wasn't he glad he had got -rid of it? - -The violet eyes studied Bob as if he were something strange and -inanimate--an odd kind of a pebble or a shell. "You are sure?" said Miss -Gwendoline. - -"Positive," answered Bob in his most confident tones. He remembered now -that during his dance with the jolly little pal he had observed the -monocle-man talking with Miss Gerald. Perhaps he had told her he had -seen the ring in Bob's fingers when the latter had gone to the window. -The monocle-man might have been spying all the while, on the other side. -There might have been two Peeping Toms interested in Bob's actions in -the billiard room. - -"Are you so positive you would be willing to submit to be searched?" - -"I am that positive," Bob answered. And then went on more eagerly: -"Maybe you haven't really lost it after all." He could say that and -still tell the truth. "Why, it may be in your room now. You may find it -on your table or your dresser when you go upstairs to retire." - -Miss Gerald looked at him. "You seem to be rather certain?" she said -tentatively. - -"I am," said Bob. "I'd almost swear--" He stopped suddenly. It wouldn't -do to be too certain. - -"Don't you find your own words rather strange?" the girl asked. - -"Everything's funny about me, nowadays," said Bob. - -"Did you enjoy renewing your acquaintance with Miss ----?" She called -Gee-gee by that other, more conventional name. - -"I did not. I dislike her profoundly." - -"Are you sure?" The violet eyes were almost meditative. "Now I should -have thought--" She paused. Bob read the thought, however. A man like -him was on a plane with Gee-gee; indeed, much lower. Miss Gerald would -be finding in Gee-gee Bob's affinity next. - -"You haven't refused me out-and-out, yet," he suggested. "To dance, I -mean." - -"You would rather, of course, I did refuse you?" - -"Of course," Bob stammered. The mere thought of dancing with her once -again as of yore gave him a sensation of exquisite pain. But naturally -she would never dream of dancing with one she considered a--? - -"Well, you may have the pleasure," she said mockingly. - -Bob could not credit his hearing. She would permit him to touch her. -Incredible! A great awe fell over him. He could not believe. - -"I said you might have the pleasure," she repeated, accenting in the -least the last word. - -Bob caught that accent. Ah, she knew then, what exquisite pain it would -be for him to dance with her! She was purposely punishing him; she -wished to make him suffer. She would drive a gimlet in his heart and -turn it around. Bob somehow got his arm about his divinity and found -himself floating around the room, experiencing that dual sensation of -being in heaven and in the other place at one and the same time. - -It was a weird and wonderful dance. Through it all he kept looking down -at her hair, though its brightness seemed to dazzle him. Miss Dolly had -confided to Bob that he "guided divinely," but he didn't guide divinely -now; he was too bewildered. Once he bumped his divinity into some one -and this did not improve his mental condition. But she bore with him -with deadly patience; she was bound to punish him thoroughly, it seemed. - -Then that dual sensation in Bob's breast began gradually to partake more -of heaven than of the other place, and he yielded to the pure and -unadulterated joy of the divinity's propinquity. He forgot there was a -big black blot on his escutcheon, or character. He ceased to remember he -was a renegade and criminal. The nearness of the proud golden head set -his heart singing until tempestuously and temerariously he flung three -words at her, telepathically, from the throbbing depths of his soul. - -The dance ending abruptly "brought him to." He looked around rather -dazed; then struggling to awake, gazed at her. Her face still wore that -expression of deadly calm and pride. Bob didn't understand. She was no -statue, he would have sworn, yet now she looked one--for him. And a -moment before she had seemed radiantly, gloriously alive--no Galatea -before the awakening! It was as if she had felt all the vibrating joy of -the dance. But that, of course, could not have been. Bob felt like -rubbing his eyes when he regarded her. He did not understand unless-- - -She wished once more to "rub it in," to make him realize again more -poignantly all that he had lost. She let him have a fuller glimpse of -heaven just to hurl him from it. She liked to see him go plunging down -into the dark voids of despair. He yielded entirely to that descending -feeling now; he couldn't help it. - -"I thank you," said Bob, in his best deportment-book manner. - -The enigmatic violet eyes lighted as they rested on him. Bob would have -sworn it was a cruel light. "Oh," she said, "as long as you are a -guest--? There are certain formalities--" - -"I understand," he returned. - -The light in the violet eyes deepened and sparkled. So a cruel Roman -lady might have regarded a gladiator in the arena, answering his appeal -with "Thumbs down." Bob lifted his hand to his brow. The girl's proud -lips--lips to dream of--were curved as in cruel disdain. Then Bob forgot -himself again. - -"I won't have you look at me like that," he said masterfully. "I'm not a -criminal. Confound it, it's preposterous. I didn't steal your ring and I -want you to know it, too. I never stole a thing in my life." They were -standing somewhat apart, where they couldn't be overheard. He spoke in a -low tone but with force, gazing boldly and unafraid now into the violet -eyes. - -"I won't let you think that of me," he said, stepping nearer. "Steal -from you?" he scoffed. "Do you know the only thing I'd like to steal -from you?" His eyes challenged hers; the violet eyes didn't shrink. -"Yourself! I'd like to steal you, but hang your rings!" He didn't say -"hang"; he used the other word. He forgot himself completely. - -A garden of wild roses blossomed on the girl's fair cheek, but she held -herself with rare composure. "I wonder, Mr. Bennett," she observed -quietly, "how I should answer such mad irresponsible talk?" - -"It's the truth. And if I were a thief--which I'm not--I wouldn't steal -your rings. Even a thief wouldn't steal the rings of the girl he loves." - -More roses! Outraged flushing, no doubt! Yet still the girl managed to -maintain her composure. "You dare go very far, do you not, Mr. Bennett?" - -"Yes; and I'll go further. I love every hair of your head. Even when -you're cruel," he hurried on recklessly, "and heaven knows you can be -cruel enough, I love you. I love your lips when they say the unkindest -and most outrageous things to me. I love your eyes when they look scorn. -I ought not to love you, but I do. Why, I loved you the first time I saw -you. And do you think if I were all those things you think me, I'd dare -stand up here and tell you that? I didn't mean to tell you ever that I -loved you. But that's my answer when you imply I'm a rank criminal. A -man's got to have a clear conscience to love you as I do. Such love can -only go with a clear conscience. Why, you're so wonderful and beautiful -to me I couldn't--" Bob paused. "Don't you see the point?" he appealed -to her. "A man couldn't have you in his heart and not have the right to -hold up his head among his fellow men." - -Miss Gerald did not at once answer; she had not moved. The sweeping dark -lashes were lowered; she was looking down. "You plead your cause very -ingeniously, Mr. Bennett," she observed at length, her lashes suddenly -uplifting. The lights were still there in the violet eyes; they seemed -yet mocking him. "You invoke the sacred name of love as a proof of your -innocence. The argument is unique if not logical," she went on with -pitiless accents and the red lips that uttered the "sacred name of love" -smiled. "I have been rather interested, however, in following your -somewhat fantastic defense of yourself. That it has incidentally -involved me is also mildly interesting. Do you expect me to feel -flattered?" The red lips still smiled. Bob was quite near but she didn't -move away. She seemed quite unafraid of him. - -"You needn't feel ashamed," said Bob sturdily. And his eyes flashed. -They seemed to say no woman ought to be ashamed of an honest man's love. -"I may be mad over you," he went on, "but I'm not ashamed of it. There -isn't a thought I have of you that doesn't make me want to be a better -man, and a stronger and more useful one, too," he added, squaring his -shoulders. - -Again the long lashes swept slightly downward, masking the violet, and -the girl's lips moved--a ripple of amusement, no doubt. She looked up, -however, once more with that appearance of deadly calm. "Then you deny -it, in toto, having seen my ring to-night?" - -Bob swallowed. Again he dropped from the heights. - -"You do not speak," said Miss Gerald, studying him. - -"I--wish you wouldn't ask me that," he managed to say. - -"Why not?" lifting her brows. "Even if you saw it you could say you -hadn't." - -"That's just the point," Miserably. "I couldn't." - -"Then you did see it?" - -"I did." - -"You had it, perhaps?" - -"I did." - -"You have it now?" - -"No." - -"Ah, you have passed it on to an accomplice, perhaps." Mockingly. Miss -Gerald drew up her proud figure. "And this is the man," she said, "who -talks to me of love. Love!" With a low musical laugh. "The tenderest -passion! The purest one! Dare you repeat now," with crushing triumph in -the violet eyes, "what you said a moment ago." - -"I love you," said Bob, with burning glance. "I shall carry your image -with me to the grave." - -This slightly staggered even one of her regal young bearing. His tone -was that of the master once more. No criminal in his look when he said -that! Miss Gerald's slender figure swayed in the least; her breast -stirred. Bob put his handsome reckless face nearer. That was the way he -answered her challenge. He wore his fighting look. - -"I love you," he said. "And that," he flung at her, "is still the answer -I dare make." - -Miss Gerald did not reply to this bold defiance at once. How she would -have answered, Bob never knew, for at that moment the hammer-thrower -came up and the girl at once turned to him, looking slightly paler as -she did so. Both then walked away, Bob's somber gaze following them. But -he was not long permitted even this mournful privilege. - -"Phone, sir," said a voice at his elbow. "Mr. Robert Bennett is urgently -wanted on the phone." - -"All right." And Bob followed the servant. "What now?" he asked himself -wearily. - -The voice at the other end was Dan's. Fortunately the telephone was -isolated and no one in the house could catch what Bob said. The good old -commodore frantically wished to know all about Gee-gee and Gid-up. He -had heard that Bob had got out of the sanatorium and gone back to Mrs. -Ralston's. Dan's desire for information was greater even than his -resentment toward Bob, as he had stooped to calling him up. - -Bob obliged the commodore with such news as he could give. He told how -he had tried unsuccessfully to sway Gee-gee and to show her the error of -her ways; how she, however, seemed resolutely determined on her course -of action and was not to be swayed. He related also that there was a -legal light in the house. - -At this point Dan's remarks became explosive; it was like the Fourth of -July at the other end of the line. Bob waited until the racket ceased -and then he went on with further details, trying to be as conscientious -and informing as possible. Finally he couldn't think of anything more to -say. But Dan thought of a lot--and some of it was personal, too. It -didn't ruffle Bob at all, however. It rolled off him like water off a -duck's back. - -"You'll be arrested," said Bob at last. "There's a law against that kind -of talk through telephones, you know." - -"I'm afraid it's all up," moaned Dan. - -"'Fraid it is!" affirmed Bob. "How does Clarence take it?" - -"He's sitting here, all broke up." - -"Well, tell him to cheer up if he can," said Bob. "Gid-up isn't nearly -so dangerous as Gee-gee. At least that's my opinion." - -"Oh, isn't she?" sneered Dan. And then there was some more Fourth of -July at the other end of the line. - -Bob waited patiently for it to subside. "Is that all you wanted to talk -with me about?" he asked at length. - -"It is not," snapped Dan. "Those confounded blankety-blank detectives, -some blankety-blank idiot has employed as gardeners about Mrs. Ralston's -place, have arrested that-blankety-blank medical head of the private -sanatorium." - -"What?" exclaimed Bob jubilantly. - -"They found him prowling around. He tells the police-station man who he -is, but the police-station man won't believe him." - -"Ha! ha!" Bob was glad he could laugh once more, but it was Fourth of -July again for Dan. - -"It isn't any blankety-blank laughing matter," he called back. "He's one -of my witnesses and I don't want to lose him. Lost witnesses enough -already!" Furiously. - -"Well, why don't you get him out?" said Bob with a gratified snicker. - -"I tried to, but that blankety-blank station-house man is a blank -bullet-head and the blankety detectives insist he shall be held, as they -saw him looking through a window. What I want you to do is to come down -to the village and help get him out." - -"Me?" said Bob loftily. "Me help get him out?" - -"Yes, you can acknowledge he was after you, an escaped patient." - -"Where is he now?" asked Bob. - -"Cell." - -"Well, you tell the station-man for me that he had better put him in a -padded room. Ha! ha!" And Bob hung up the receiver. - -But almost immediately the bell rang again. - -"Hello!" said a voice. It was the telephone operator. "Is Mr. Bennett -still there? Oh! Well, there's a party on the long distance wants to -speak to you." - -"Hello; that you, Bob?" came in far-away accents. - -"It's me. Who are you?" - -"Dad." - -"Oh, hello, dad!" Bob tried to make his voice joyful. - -"I called you up to tell you I caught a fifty-seven pounder. Thought -you'd like to congratulate me." - -Bob did. - -"They've made me a member of the Pius Piscatorials--swell club down -here," continued dad jubilantly, and again Bob did the congratulating -act. "By the way, how's hustling?" went on dad. - -"I'm hustling all right." - -"That's good. Well, good-by, son. I'll be short of funds presently, but -that doesn't worry me. I'm having the time of my life. By-by, dear boy." - -"By-by, dad, dear." - -"Hold on, Mr. Bennett." It was the telephone operator once more. -"There's another party that's bound to speak to you, and take it from me -I don't like the sound of his voice. I hope he isn't like that first -party that was talking to you. What us poor girls has to put up with is -something shameful, and--All right. Go ahead." - -"This is Dickie," said a voice. "Say! you leave my girl alone. I've -heard of your goings-on." - -"Who told you?" asked Bob. "That Peeping Tom? That maniac-medico?" - -"I told you before I was going to marry her. You keep off the premises -if you know what is good for you." Dickie was so mad he was childish. - -"No, you're not going to marry her," said Bob. - -"You--you don't mean to say you're engaged to her?" came back in choked -tones. - -"No. She's only my jolly little pal. But she thinks a lot of what I tell -her and I'll pick out a real man for her some day. You aren't good -enough. A chap that will punch another chap when he can't defend himself -isn't the chap for jolly little pal." - -"I didn't punch you when you couldn't defend yourself," said Dickie -indignantly. - -"I'm the one to know. You gave it to me all right, and thereby settled -your chances with her. Do you think I'd let a girl like her marry a chap -like you? Why, you might come home and beat your wife! You're capable of -it. I refuse my consent absolutely. I shall advise her to have nothing -whatever to do with you." - -Dickie couldn't speak and Bob left him in a state of coma. This time Bob -was suffered to leave the telephone booth. He was awfully glad they had -the maniac-medico locked up. Maybe he would get a cute little room with -a cunning little window, and maybe there'd be a landscape? But there -wouldn't be any flowers. - -Just at this moment the temperamental little thing hurried up to Bob in -a state of great agitation. He saw that something serious had happened. - - - - - CHAPTER XX--HAND-READING - - -"Did you get rid of it?" he asked hurriedly. - -"I did not," she gasped. "That mean old monocle-man wouldn't let me. -He's just kept his eye on me every moment. When I went up-stairs, he -followed. There he is now. See how he's watching us. Oh, what shall I -do, if they find me with it?" - -"Give it to me," said Bob. - -"No, I won't." - -"But do you realize what it means if they find it on you?" he asked in -alarm. - -"We would go to jail together," said jolly little pal. - -"But I won't have you go to jail. It's preposterous." - -"Maybe I deserve it," she remarked, "for having 'peached.' I hope," -wistfully, "our cells will be close together. Did you have a nice dance -with Miss Gerald?" - -"Give it to me," commanded Bob sternly. "If you don't, I'll--I'll take -it from you." - -But she put her hand behind her. "Isn't Gwendoline the most beautiful -thing in the world?" she said. "We'll talk about her in jail. It'll help -pass the time." - -"Give--" - -"I'm not the least bit jealous, because now I'm only your really-truly -little pal," she went on. "I wish I could be your best man. But I don't -suppose that's feasible." - -"Give--" - -"I might swallow it," she observed tentatively. - -"Great heavens!" he reached for her hand. - -"Aw!--fortune-telling?" said a voice. - -"Yes; he was just going to read my palm," answered jolly little pal -promptly while Bob turned rather nervously to regard the monocle-man. - -"Perhaps--aw!--I could read it," suggested the monocle-man, looking at -the closed fingers. "I have some--aw!--skill that way. Perhaps, Miss -Dolly--aw!--you would permit me to look at your heart line?" - -"I just won't," said Miss Dolly, with flashing eyes. - -Bob watched her closely. If she tried to swallow it, he would stop her. - -"How--aw!--very unkind!" said the monocle-man. "If you -would--aw!--permit me, I could tell you--? aw!--just what kind of a man -you're going to marry." - -"I'm not going to marry any one," replied the jolly little pal. - -"Please now, do--aw!" he urged. - -"Well, if you want to be tiresome." She gave him the hand that didn't -hold the ring. - -"Impulsive! Charming!" he said, bending his monocle owlishly over the -soft pink palm. "Now the other?" - -"Won't!" she returned succinctly. - -Bob drew yet nearer. He believed she was quite capable of carrying out -that threat of swallowing it. - -"But how can I complete telling your fortune--aw!--unless I see the -other hand?" expostulated the monocle-man with a pleasant smile. "I -desire especially to examine the Mount of Venus." - -"There isn't any mountain any more," said the jolly little pal. "It's -been moved away." - -"Aw! How interesting! Then we might survey the vale of friendship." - -She looked around like a bird in a snare; the hammer-man was not far -away and impulsively she flew over to him. - -"Was this our dance? I'm so forgetful!" - -"It wasn't, but it is," he returned with a smile. Obviously he was -flattered. Heretofore Miss Dolly had not acted particularly prepossessed -by the hammer-thrower; he hadn't any temperament--so she thought; he -didn't swing one around with enough abandon. He was one of those serious -goody-goody dancers. He swung Miss Dolly very seriously now; they went -so slowly for her that once she stumbled over his feet. It was evident -their temperaments didn't match. Or maybe what she held in one hand had -made her terribly self-conscious. Bob watched them gloomily. He feared -she might swallow it during the dance, but she didn't, for the little -hand was partly closed still when she left the hammer-thrower and Bob -gazed around for that confounded monocle-man. The latter, however, had -apparently lost interest in palm-reading and the temperamental little -thing, for he was nowhere to be seen. Miss Dolly's eyes were at once -frightened and strange when she fluttered again to Bob's side. - -"Oh, I've done the most awful thing," she confided quite breathlessly to -him. - -"You--you haven't swallowed it?" he exclaimed in alarm. He thought he -had watched her closely, but still she might have found opportunity--she -might have made a swift movement to her lips which he had failed to -observe. - -"No, I haven't swallowed it," she answered. "I've done worse." - -"Worse? What could be worse?" - -"I slipped it into his waistcoat pocket." - -"Whose? The hammer-thrower? No? By jove!--" - -"I did it when I tripped. And I tripped purposely, and when he was very -gallant and kept me from falling, I--I slipped it in. And isn't it -awful? Poor man! He's such a goody-good. You don't mind, do you?" -Anxiously. - -"Oh, I mind a heap," said Bob jovially. "Ho! ho!" - -"I was afraid you might scold." - -"Scold? No, indeed. I'm awfully obliged and I only wish I could do -something for you to show how thankful I am." - -"Do you? Then you might--" She gazed toward the conservatory where it -was dim and shadowy. "No; it wouldn't do. We're not engaged any more. -Besides--" And she looked toward a straight proud figure with golden -hair. She didn't finish what she was going to say. Only--"I guess I -won't make you," she added. - -"Thanks," said Bob. "You're sure the best pal a chap ever had. But -honest! I hate to be mean and disappoint you after all you've done. And -I might volunteer, if you'd make it just one--or, at the most, two." - -A moment the temperamental little thing seemed to waver. Then the -rosebud lips set more firmly. "No," she said. "It's awfully dear of you -to offer, but I don't want any. You've made me see the error of my ways. -I've reformed. I only want to be your jolly little pal. But you haven't -any conscientious scruples about the way I disposed of it, have you?" -she asked, swiftly changing the subject. - -"Conscientious scruples? Not one. Ho! ho!" - -But the laughter faded suddenly from Bob's lips. At that moment the -hammer-thrower chanced to put his fingers in his waistcoat pocket. Then -he gave a slight start and glanced toward the temperamental little -thing; his brow was lowering, and he appeared to meditate. Bob knew -there must be murder in his heart. Just then from across the room, Bob -saw the monocle-man approaching the hammer-thrower. - -The latter cast a swift look toward him of the monocle. It was the look -of a man who for the first time, perhaps, fully realizes, or begins to -realize certain unexpected forces arrayed against him. He now had the -ring and he dared not keep it. If he had never entertained any -suspicions regarding the monocle-man's identity before, there was -something about the other now that awoke sudden and secret misgivings. -The monocle-man didn't make much of a point of disguising his -watchfulness at the present time. That was odd--unless he didn't greatly -care just now whether any one guessed his identity or not. Possibly the -psychological moment was approaching. - -The hammer-thrower thought, no doubt, that Bob had told the -temperamental little thing that he (the hammer-man) had taken the ring -from Miss Gerald's room and Miss Dolly had offered to return it to the -hammer-thrower. And she had found a way to do so. It was clever. But the -hammer-thrower was not in a mood to appreciate the grim jest. Now that -the tables were turned, Bob and Miss Dolly would make it their business -to see that the glittering trifle was found in _his_ possession. The -hammer-thrower couldn't dispose of it under the circumstances; he was in -exactly the same predicament Bob had been in. Suddenly he seemed to make -up his mind what to do; he adopted the most daring expedient. In those -few moments he had done some very rapid thinking. He stepped toward Miss -Gerald now, his face wearing its most reliable expression. Honesty -fairly radiated from his square solid countenance. - -"Miss Gerald," he said, "may I speak with you privately?" - -"Is it important?" she asked. - -"Very!" in his most serious manner. - -She complied with his request, and they withdrew from the hearing of -others. - -"Miss Gerald," he began abruptly, "have you lost a ring?" - -She gazed at him in surprise. - -"I have." - -"Is this it? I believe I recognize it as one you have worn." - -"It is." Gwendoline's look swerved toward Bob. "But--" she began. - -"You do not understand how it came in my possession?" he asked, in an -even monotonous tone. - -"I certainly did not think that you--" - -"You didn't think I had it?" Seriously. - -"I did not." And again she looked toward Bob. - -"I did not know I had it myself," he observed gravely, "until just this -minute. You believe me, I trust?" - -"Yes," she said slowly, "I believe you. But how--?" Again she paused. - -"Did I come by it? A certain young lady I danced with just now placed it -in my waistcoat pocket." - -The hammer-thrower held himself squarely, with a poise that expressed -rectitude. He was rather well satisfied with what he had done. He argued -that his action, from Miss Gerald's point of view, must be that of an -innocent man. If he (the hammer-thrower) had taken the ring it wasn't -likely he would step up to Miss Gerald and offer it back to her. His -bold move complicated the issue; but he did not doubt, however, that he -would emerge from the affair with credit. - -"Of course I am aware that it is a serious charge to make," went on the -hammer-thrower, "but what was I to do? I never was put in a more painful -position." - -"Painful, indeed," replied Miss Gerald sympathetically. "Of course it -was a joke." - -"I am glad you take that view of it," he replied. "You can see that -naturally I found it deucedly awkward. Things have been disappearing in -so many country-houses, don't you know. It wouldn't have been a joke for -me if I hadn't fortunately discovered it as I did. Under the -circumstances, I don't really appreciate Miss Dolly's jokes." - -"But mightn't it have been some one else?" suggested Gwendoline. - -"I danced only with you and Miss Dolly." - -"Well, naturally, it wouldn't be I," said Gwendoline with a smile. -"There's Dolly now talking with Mr. Bennett and Lord Stanfield, Suppose -we speak to her. But I wouldn't have any one else know for the world. -I'm really very sorry Dolly's heedlessness should have caused one of my -aunt's guests any embarrassment." Miss Gerald was graciousness itself. - -In spite of the thrill of the moment, the hammer-thrower couldn't -prevent an expression of honest approval gleaming from his eyes. "You -are very kind," he said in a low tone. "You will never know all this -visit has meant to me. I, too, regret exceedingly that what you regard -as one of Miss Dolly's mad pranks--and we all know how prone she is to -do the unconventional--should have involved me in a little episode that, -perhaps, isn't so agreeable as it should be. I trust, though, you don't -blame me for coming to you at once about the matter?" - -"Why should I blame you?" The violet eyes full on the deep serious ones. - -"I suppose I might just have placed it somewhere, on the mantle, for -example, and not said anything about Miss Dolly's part in the affair," -he observed musingly. "It might have been more chivalrous. One doesn't -like to complain of a woman, you know, and a fellow guest at that." With -regret that sounded genuine. - -"I think you took the only course a conscientious man could," said -Gwendoline Gerald. "Indeed, I can appreciate your position. You did what -any honest man would feel impelled to do." - -Again that gracious smile! Again a slight gleaming in the hammer-man's -eyes! At the moment she seemed to realize in every way the poet's -picture of regal young womanhood--"divinely tall" and most divinely -fashioned, she appeared, as she stood with the light from a great -chandelier full upon her. - -"Your approval is very dear to me," the hammer-thrower murmured. "I -think I have your friendship. That is much--much, indeed. But--" For a -moment he seemed about to say more. His strong, honest-looking face -surely wore an expression of some feeling deeper than friendship. - -Would Gwendoline Gerald have shrunk from a verbal expression of what his -look seemed to imply? The violet eyes never appeared deeper, more -enigmatic--receptive. The hammer-thrower did not go on, however. He -reverted to that other topic. - -"Perhaps it would be as well to drop the matter altogether," he -remarked. "I am quite satisfied to do so, if you are." - -"That is nice of you," she said in a tone that implied she still -approved of him. "But I think I shall speak to Dolly. Or, at least, let -her see the ring is on my finger." - -"I can't understand why she should have done it," he observed in puzzled -accents as they crossed the room. "I can't quite see how it can be -classed as a joke." - -"Dolly has the wildest idea of humor," returned Gwendoline. "As a little -girl she was always doing the maddest things. Perhaps, too, she has been -reading about those sensational robberies and wished to perpetrate a -hoax." - -"I say, that would have been rather rough on a fellow, wouldn't it?" - -"And then, after creating a little excitement, she would have come -forward and said she did it. Maybe she read about that escapade of young -men and girls at an English house-party. They carried off valuables in -an automobile, and returned the same, piece-meal, by parcel post. I -don't say my explanation of Dolly's prank is a correct one," said Miss -Gerald, tentatively lifting long sweeping lashes to regard her -companion, "but it may in some measure throw light upon it." - -"Unless--?" He paused. - -"Unless what?" she asked. - -"Nothing. Only I was thinking--" - -The violet eyes became suddenly darker. "You mean about what you told me -this morning--about Mr. Bennett and how you found him--?" - -"I really didn't wish to speak of that, only it was strange--" He -stopped. - -"Strange, indeed," she observed, studying him. - -"Anyhow, I can't see how to connect that with this," he confessed. - -"There does seem a missing-link somewhere," observed the girl. "Do -you"--and her eyes were again full upon the deep serious ones--"like Mr. -Bennett?" - -"I neither like nor dislike him." They had stopped for a moment in a -doorway. "His manners have been rather extraordinary. I honestly can't -make him out. He looks rational enough and yet he acts most -irrationally." - -"I am going to tell you a great secret," said the girl. "Please do not -speak of it to any one else. Some one in the house has been taking -things--in earnest, I mean." - -"No? Is it possible?" he observed. "Then it wouldn't have been nice for -me if that ring--?" Honest indignation shone from his eyes. "I must say -Miss Dolly did take a confounded liberty." - -"Under the circumstances, yes," said the girl gravely. - -"You say things are missing? Great Scott!" - -"I did not say missing." Quickly. "It is a case of substitution." - -"Pardon me if I fail to understand." - -She explained. "By jove! that is clever. I am honored by your -confidence. I won't betray it. Your aunt is naturally distressed?" - -"Naturally--though she appears the same as usual. However, she is -determined to put an end to these affairs. Society has been frightfully -annoyed. It is not nice to ask some one down and then to have her -lose--" - -"I understand," said the hammer-thrower gravely. "If your aunt can stop -these unfortunate occurrences society will owe her a great debt. But -tell me further, if I am not intruding too greatly on your confidences, -does the finger of suspicion point anywhere?" - -"Yes," returned the girl. - -"Of course," he said, and looked toward Bob. - -That young man's face did not now express any trace of satisfaction or -jovial feeling. He looked both puzzled and worried, and glanced -apprehensively from time to time at the sentimental young thing. The -monocle-man _was_ telling her fortune now. With British persistence he -had reverted to the subject upon again approaching the couple, which he -did almost immediately after the hammer-thrower returned to Miss Gerald -her ring. - -"You missed your ring?" said the hammer-thrower after a pause. - -"Yes. But I never imagined--" - -"It would be returned in such an extraordinary manner? I don't see where -he--?" And the hammer-man paused again with downbent brows. - -It was not hard for her to read the thought. He did not see just where -Bob Bennett "came in." That's what he once more implied. He didn't wish -to be unjust to any one. His expression said that. - -"I guess it must just have been a whim," he conceded after a moment, -handsomely. "After all, it's proofs that count." The sentence had a -familiar sound to Miss Gerald who entertained a vague impression she had -said something like it to Bob. They approached Dolly. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI--HEART OF STONE - - -"Did he tell you that I--?" began Miss Dolly at once, and snatching her -arm from that tiresome monocle-man. - -"Yes, my dear," said Gwendoline. "And he seemed a little hurt at your -sense of humor." - -The temperamental little thing stood like a wild creature at bay, her -eyes glowing like those of a fawn about to receive the arrow of a hunter -or a huntress. Miss Gerald did not look a very remorseless huntress, -however. - -"How did he know I did it?" said Dolly with a glance toward the -hammer-thrower. "He didn't catch me at it." Defiantly. - -"Deduction, my dear," replied Gwendoline. - -"He can't prove it. I defy him." The jolly little pal felt now how one -feels when he or she is haled into a court of justice. She wouldn't -"peach" though. They could put her through the third or the thirty-third -degree and she wouldn't tell on Bob. Never! "You have only _his_ word," -with another glance at the hammer-thrower, "and maybe my word is as good -as his." She had to tell a whopper; but she would tell a million for -Bob. It was a pal's duty to. - -"But I saw you do it," now interposed the monocle-man with a quiet -smile. - -She almost wilted at that, then threw back her head farther. - -"I"--Bob stepped quickly forward--"gave it to her. It was I," gravely to -Miss Gerald, "who had your ring. Think what you please." She had already -passed judgment on him, he remembered. - -"Don't you believe him," tempestuously interrupted the temperamental -little thing. "I took it myself. It--it was just a joke." - -"That's what Miss Gerald and I were saying just now," observed the -hammer-thrower heavily. He held himself just as if he were a remote, -rather puzzled bystander. - -Bob gave a hoarse laugh. He couldn't control himself. - -"I beg your pardon," observed the monocle-man, "but I am afraid Miss -Dolly, in her zeal, is rather misleading in her statements. Her vale of -friendship, I have noticed, on her palm, is well developed. At the same -time I can not let her wrongfully accuse herself, even though the matter -should pass as a jest. I have to tell the truth--you must forgive me, -Miss Dolly. But I saw Mr. Bennett pass you that ring during the dance." - -"But why should he?" spoke up Miss Gerald. "Can't you enlighten me, -dear?" To the temperamental young thing. - -"I won't say a word," said the latter at a loss. "Only I'd like to tell -you"--to the monocle-man--"how much I like you." - -"I'm sorry to have displeased you," he answered simply. "You have really -a charming hand. As for the reason you ask"--to Miss Gerald--"it should -not be difficult to find. I conclude that Mr. Bennett asked Miss Dolly -to return the ring to Miss Gerald's room. I think that was what she was -trying to do and I'm afraid I prevented her." - -"But why should Mr. Bennett"--Gwendoline did not deign to address that -young man direct--"have asked Dolly to do that?" - -"Maybe," suggested the monocle-man, "Mr. Bennett will answer that -himself." - -"What's the use?" said Bob. "Nobody believes anything I say." Miss -Gwendoline still acted as if she did not see him. - -"If you take him to jail, I'm going too," remarked the temperamental -little thing. "If he's guilty, I--" - -"You suggest, then, he is guilty?" said the monocle-man quickly. - -"No; no! I--" - -"I fear you have suggested it," he interrupted pointedly. - -"If people confess do they get lighter sentences?" she asked with a -quick breath. - -"Usually," said the monocle-man. - -Jolly little pal pondered painfully. Perhaps she saw plainer than Bob -how clear was the case against him. "Why don't you?" she suggested. - -Bob smiled feebly. "The answer I make is the same one I gave to Miss -Gerald when I last spoke to her." - -A flame sprang to Gwendoline's cheek. - -"You dare say that now--with all this evidence against you?" She showed -herself keenly aware of his presence now. - -"I dare." He stepped to her side and looked into her eyes. "My eyes are -saying it now." - -The girl's breast stirred quickly. Did she fear he would say those words -aloud, before all the others? He was reckless enough to do so. - -"Do you understand or shall I make it plainer?" he asked, swinging back -his blond head. - -"I do not think that will be necessary," she answered with some -difficulty. - -"What _is_ it all about?" said the hammer-man, and there was a slight -frown on his brow. - -"You ought to know," returned Bob, as his eyes met swiftly the other's. -For a moment gaze encountered gaze. Bob's now was sardonically ironical, -yet challenging. The hammer-thrower's was mystified. Then the latter -shrugged. - -"Is he mad as well as a--" he spoke musingly. - -"Thief," said Bob. "Say it right out. I'm not afraid of the word." - -The hammer-thrower sighed heavily. "What are we to do?" he said to Miss -Gerald sympathetically. "It is needless to say, you can command me." - -"Isn't that lovely?" Sotto voce from Bob. - -"I'm terribly afraid the affair has passed from the joke stage," said -Gwendoline Gerald and once more she appeared cool and composed. Again -she made Bob feel he was but a matter for consideration--an intrusive -and unwelcome matter that had to be disposed of. "What ought I to do?" - -"Arrest me, of course," returned Bob. "I've been waiting for it for some -time. And the funny part is, the affair hasn't passed from the joke -stage. You know that." To the hammer-man. "Why don't you chuckle?" - -"I suppose I may as well tell you I'm a bogus lord," unexpectedly -interrupted the monocle-man at this moment. "My name is not even a -high-sounding one." The hammer-thrower started slightly. "It's plain -Michael Moriarity. But I was once a lord's valet." He had dropped his -drawl, though he still kept his monocle. "I am sorry to have intruded as -a real personage among you all, although there are plenty of bogus lords -floating through society." - -"Oh, you didn't deceive me," answered jolly little pal. "I knew who you -were." - -"Well, you certainly hoodwinked the rest of us," observed the -hammer-thrower slowly. He stood with his head down as if thinking -deeply. When he looked up, he gazed straight into the monocle-man's -eyes. They were twinkling and good-humored. An arrest in high society -was rather a ceremonious affair. You didn't take a man by the scruff of -the neck and yank him to the patrol wagon. There were polite formalities -to be observed. The end had to be accomplished without shocking or -disturbing the other guests. The truly artistic method would, in fact, -be the attainment of the result while the guests remained in absolute -ignorance, for the time being, of what had been done. - -"I'm afraid I've got to do my duty," observed the monocle-man to Bob. -"You look like a man who would play the game. A game loser, I mean?" -Suggestively. - -"Oh, I'm a loser all right," said Bob, looking at the hammer-man. For a -moment he wondered if he should speak further. He could imagine how his -words would be received. He didn't forget that he hadn't a shadow of -proof against the hammer-man. Miss Gerald would think he was accusing an -innocent person and she would despise him (Bob) only the more--if that -were possible. To speak would be but to court the contempt of the -others, the laughter of the hammer-man. Bob's thoughts were terribly -confused but he realized he might as well remain silent; indeed, perhaps -it would be better for the present. - -"Anyhow, what I told you wasn't so," said jolly little pal to the -monocle-man. "And I repeat I will never testify to it." She was awfully -dejected. - -"Yes, you will," said Bob monotonously. "As I told you, I won't let you -get into trouble." - -"Besides there's all that other evidence," suggested the monocle-man. - -"I can explain that away," returned Bob. Then he thought: Could he? -Would Dan and Clarence stand by him now and acknowledge it was they he -had let out of the house at that unseemly hour? He doubted it. Dickie, -too, wouldn't be very friendly. Their last conversation over the -telephone was far from reassuring. "No; I am not sure that I can," Bob -added. He still had to remember he was the impersonation of Truth. - -"You refer to Miss Gerald's having seen you wandering about the house -after the others had retired, I presume?" suggested the monocle-man, who -was enjoying the conversation immensely. It was the kind of a situation -he liked. He wouldn't have curtailed it for the world. When the -hammer-man heard the question, his brows lifted slightly. Surely a -momentary glint of gladness or satisfaction shone from his gaze. But it -receded at once. He listened attentively. - -"Yes, I was referring to that," answered Bob, gazing at Gwendoline. She, -condemn him to a prison cell! She, swear away his liberty! He gazed -wistfully, almost sadly at the sweet inexorable lips which might ruin -his life. He didn't feel resentful; he only determined to put up the -best fight he could when the time came. - -"Is--is it necessary to proceed to extremities?" said the hammer-man at -this point sedulously. "Would not the mere fact that we all know about -the matter be sufficient punishment?" He appealed to Miss Gerald. "My -father used to tell me that when a man was down, if we could see the way -to extend a helping hand, we would be doing the right thing. I think the -world is becoming more tolerant and there is a tendency to give a person -a chance to reform, instead of locking him up." - -Again Bob laughed. In spite of his unhappiness and that weight of -melancholy, the other's heavy humor tickled Bob's funny bone. Think of -the hammer-man pretending to try to keep Bob out of jail! Didn't he know -how to play his cards? The deadly joke was on Bob. - -"Don't appeal too hard in my behalf, old chap; you might strain -yourself," he said to the hammer-thrower. - -But the hammer-thrower pretended not to hear. He kept his sedulous, -humane glance on Miss Gerald. - -"You mean you would have my aunt take no action in the matter?" she -said, and the lovely face was now calm and thoughtful. - -"Please do!" This from jolly little pal. "Dear, dear Gwendoline! It'll -be such a favor to me. And I'll love you dearly." - -"You certainly are a very doughty champion of Mr. Bennett, Dolly," -observed Miss Gerald. There was a question in her look and her words -might have implied that Bob had been making love to the temperamental -little thing, even when he dared tell Miss Gerald he cared for her. -Gwendoline's face wore an odd smile now. - -"I'm not interested for the reason you think," answered the -temperamental little thing spiritedly. "He never made love to me--real -love. I tried to make him, because he is all that should appeal to any -woman, but he wouldn't," she went on tempestuously, regardlessly. "And -then we vowed we'd be pals and we are. And I'll stand by him to the last -ditch." - -"You are very loyal, dear," said Gwendoline quietly. - -"Besides, he's in love with some one else," she shot back, and Bob -shifted. There was a directness about jolly little pal that was -sometimes disconcerting. - -The hammer-man looked quickly toward Miss Gerald, and his eyes were full -of jealousy for an instant. He was not sorry that Bob was going to "get -his." Nevertheless, he would plead for him again, he wouldn't cease to -be consistent in his role. - -"I'll tell you who it is, too, if you want to know," the temperamental -little thing went on to Gwendoline. - -"My dear, I haven't asked. It seems to me," coldly, "we are slightly -drifting from the subject." - -"I believe you stated just now that you and Mr. Bennett vowed to be -pals," interposed the monocle-man regarding Miss Dolly. "Does that mean -you agreed to be accomplices--to divide the 'swag,' in the parlance of -the lower world?" The monocle-man was enjoying himself more and more. He -was finding new interest in the scene. It was more "meaty" than he had -dared hope. - -"She doesn't mean anything of the kind," put in Bob savagely. "She just -extended the hand of friendship. She's a good fellow, that is all, and I -won't have you imply the slightest thing against her. You understand -that, Mr. Bogus Lord?" - -"I only asked a question," observed the monocle-man humbly. - -"Well, you've got the answer." In the same aggressive manner. "She's -a--a brick and I won't have any harm come to her on my account." - -"None of us would have any harm come to Dolly," said Gwendoline coldly. - -"I wanted him to elope with me, but he wouldn't," went on the -temperamental little thing, thinking fast. Bob listened in despair. "I -didn't know then it was only friendship I felt. I thought it was love. -And when he refused, I was furious. To be revenged, I went to that -horrid man"--looking at him of the monocle--"and told him a pack of -lies." - -"Lies?" said the monocle-man, smiling sweetly and screwing his glass in -farther. - -"Yes, and that's the reason I shall give on the witness-stand." -Defiantly. "I'll tell the truth there--let every one know how horrid and -wicked I was." - -The monocle-man shook his head with mild disapproval. "What do you say -to that, Mr. Bennett?" he asked softly. - -"Of course I can't let her do anything to incriminate herself," answered -Bob mournfully. "To prevent her doing so I shall have to avow right -now--? and I do"--firmly--"that those were not lies, but truths she told -you." - -"Please!--please!--" said jolly little pal piteously. - -"Truths!" said Bob again boldly. - -Miss Dolly gave a great sigh. "Are you going to confess you are guilty -of all they charge?" - -"I am not." Stubbornly. "I am not guilty." - -"I'm rather afraid certain evidence, including Miss Dolly's truths, -which you acknowledge as such, might tend to show you are," suggested -the monocle-man. - -Again Miss Dolly thought fast. Bob wouldn't let her declare her -accusations of him lies; therefore only one alternative remained. - -"_I_ have a confession to make," she said solemnly. - -Bob looked startled. "Don't!--" he began. He wondered into what new -realm her inventive faculties would lead her. - -"Mr. Bennett," observed the monocle-man gravely, "I have to remind you -that anything you say can be used against you. And your manner now, in -seeking to restrain or interfere with what Miss Dolly has to say, will -certainly hurt your case." - -Bob groaned. He cast hunted eyes upon Miss Dolly. The jolly little pal -breathed hard, but there was a look of determination in the dark soulful -eyes. - -"Mr. Mike Something, or whatever your name is," she said to the -monocle-man in a low tense tone, "I am all that which you suggested." - -He overlooked the scornful mode of address. He rubbed his hands softly; -his eyes were pleased. "You mean about agreeing to be accomplices and to -divide the 'swag'?" - -"Yes." Fatalistically. - -Bob groaned again. - -The temperamental little thing looked up in the air. She would be mainly -responsible for sending Bob to jail--the thought burned. What was a -treacherous but repentant pal's duty under the circumstances? She had a -vision, too, of those adjoining cells. - -"You see," she began dreamily, "my father is rather sparing of the -spending money he allows me, and I have terribly extravagant tastes. -Why, my hats alone cost a fortune. I simply have got to have nice and -expensive things." Again Bob groaned. Dolly dreamed on: "I've -bushel-baskets of silk stockings, for example. See!" Displaying an -exquisite ankle. "My gowns all come from Paris. Gwendoline can tell you -that." Miss Gerald did not deny. "And they're not gowns from those -side-street dressmakers, either. They come from _the_ places on the rue -de la Paix. Besides"--Dolly's dream expanded--"I like to take things." -Another groan from Bob. "I think I'm a clepto." - -"There isn't one word of truth in what she's saying," exclaimed Bob -indignantly. "Why, it's outrageous. She doesn't realize what she's -doing." - -"Yes, I do," returned little pal with a stanch and loyal glance. "Why -should you take all the blame when I'm entitled to half of it?" - -"You aren't entitled to any of it," he retorted helplessly. "And there -isn't any blame for you to share, either." - -"Do you expect us to believe that?" observed the monocle-man -reproachfully. - -"No, I don't." - -"Or a jury?" - -"Perhaps not." - -"Really, old chap"--began the hammer-man sedulously, and he looked -awfully sorry. Perhaps he was going to extend his sympathy. - -"Say it in Latin!" interrupted Bob ungratefully. - -"What does he mean?" queried the monocle-man. - -"I'm really at a loss," answered the hammer-thrower. - -That gentleman had gleaned a great deal of information of a most -gratifying nature. He didn't know all the whys and wherefores, but it -was sufficient that Bob seemed too deep in the toils to extricate -himself. A happy (to the hammer-man) combination of circumstances had -involved the other. - -"Please let him go," again pleaded Miss Dolly to Gwendoline. "Be a dear. -Besides, think how he--" She went over to Miss Gerald suddenly and -whispered two words--two ardent electrical words! - -Gwendoline's eyes flashed but she did not answer. One of the -hammer-thrower's hands closed. - -"I fear Miss Gerald couldn't do that now, if she wanted to," interposed -the monocle-man. "It isn't altogether her affair or her aunt's. You see, -there are other people who gave those other social functions Mr. Bennett -attended. They may not incline to be sentimentally--I may say foolishly -lenient. So you see even if I desired to oblige a lady"--bowing to Dolly -"whom I esteem very much, my hands are tied. Justice, in other words, -must take its course." - -Bob looked at Gwendoline. "Some day, Miss Gerald, you may realize you -helped, or tried to help, convict an innocent man." - -"She doesn't care," said the temperamental little thing vehemently. -"She's got a stone for a heart." Only that cryptic smile on the proud -beautiful lips answered this outbreak. The jolly little pal went right -over to her again. "Anyhow," she said, "he kissed me." - -Just for an instant Miss Gerald's sweeping lashes lifted to Bob. Just -for an instant, too, Miss Gerald's white teeth buried themselves in that -proud red upper lip. Miss Dolly turned to the monocle-man. "Now, I'm -ready to go with you," she said. - -"Oh, I don't want you"--then he added "yet! You will appreciate, Mr. -Bennett"--turning to Bob--"that the more quietly--I want to show you all -the consideration possible--" - -"I'll go quietly," muttered Bob. "No use raising a row! I'll go like a -gentleman. I'll make myself as little obnoxious and objectionable to the -rest of Mrs. Ralston's guests as possible." Bitterly. "Good-by, Miss -Gerald." That young lady didn't answer. "Won't you say good-by?" -repeated Bob. There was a gleam of great pleasure in the -hammer-thrower's eyes now. Bob had involuntarily put out his hand but -Miss Gerald would not see it. Indeed, she turned farther from him, as if -annoyed by Bob's persistence. Bob's hand fell to his side, he drew -himself up. - -"I am ready, sir," he said quietly to the monocle-man. - -"Perhaps it would be as well if you accompanied us," observed the -monocle-man to the hammer-thrower. - -"Certainly." The other understood. Bob was strong and he might change -his mind and be less lamblike before reaching his destination. "It's a -disagreeable job at best," murmured the hammer-thrower, "but I suppose I -ought to see it through." - -"It's nice of you," said Miss Gerald in a low dull tone. - -A moment Bob's eyes gleamed dangerously, then he seemed to realize the -presence of Miss Gerald's other guests once more and his handsome blond -head dropped. "I guess it's your turn," he said to the hammer-man. - -Miss Dolly looked at the composed proud girl with the "heart of stone." -The temperamental little thing's hands were tightly closed. Suddenly -once more she bent over to whisper--this time viciously--to Miss Gerald. -"He kisses beautifully," she breathed. "And--and I hate you!" Miss -Gerald did not answer; nor did she turn to regard Bob who quietly moved -away now with the monocle-man and the hammer-thrower. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII--A REAL BENEFACTOR - - -Bob, the hammer-thrower and the monocle-man together entered the little -station-house in the village. It wasn't much of a lock-up, but it was -big enough to hold Bob and a few others, one of whom had just been -released as the trio of new-comers walked in. His eye fell on Bob. - -"That's my man," he exclaimed excitedly. "That's my escaped patient." - -"Yes, that's he!" affirmed a second voice--that of the commodore. - -"Got him this time!" came jubilantly from another side of the bare room, -and Bob gazing, with no show of emotion, in that direction, discovered -Dickie and Clarence were there too. - -"Put me in the padded cell, would you?" said the maniac-medico -furiously. "I'll see where you go. Come on. The car is waiting. There -won't be any window-bouquets this time, I promise you." - -Bob didn't answer. He didn't much care what they said. - -"I got Gee-gee on the phone," went on Dan viciously, "and she has it all -down in black and white, she tells me. The legal light up there has -attended to that. A parcel of outrageous falsehoods! The audacity of -that girl, too! When I showed her the enormity of her conduct, she only -gave a merry little laugh. Said she was terribly fond of me, the minx! -And would I come and sit in the front row when she was a bright and -scintillating star?" - -"And she said Gid-up wanted to know if I wouldn't like to gaze upon that -cute little freckle once more?" added Clarence in choked tones. - -"And all that, on account of you!" exclaimed the commodore, throwing out -his arms and looking at the culprit. Dickie didn't say anything at the -moment. He only glared. - -Bob regarded the three with lack-luster gaze. He felt little interest in -them now. - -"Take him away!" said Dan, breathing hard. "Or I may do him an injury." - -"Give him what's coming to him," breathed Dickie hoarsely. "He's got my -girl hypnotized." - -"Come on," said the maniac-medico sternly to Bob. "Let's waste no more -time." - -"Hold on," spoke the monocle-man quietly. "You are a little premature, -gentlemen." - -"What do _you_ want to butt in for?" demanded the commodore aggressively -of the monocle-man. - -"Mr. Bennett has accompanied me here as my prisoner. Am I not right?" -Appealing to the hammer-thrower. - -"Correct," said that gentleman regretfully. - -"What's he been doing besides wrecking homes?" asked the commodore. - -"A few articles of jewelry have been missing at Mrs. Ralston's," said -the hammer-thrower in that same tone. "It's a very regrettable affair. -Miss Gerald, for example, lost her ring and it was traced to Mr. -Bennett." - -Bob stood it patiently. He wondered if his day would ever come. - -"So?-- He's the merry little social-highwayman, is he?" observed Dan. -"The best I can say is, don't make a hero of him. Give him some real, -old-fashioned justice." - -"I'm afraid I can't honestly extend my sympathy to you," remarked -Clarence to Bob stiffly. - -"I'm not sorry," said Dickie frankly. "I'm glad. Anyhow, Miss Dolly will -despise you now." With a ring of triumph in his voice. - -"No, she won't," observed Bob, breaking silence for the first time. "It -was being what people think I am that made her fall in love with me." He -didn't want Dickie to feel too good. He remembered that unsportsmanlike -punch. "She's my dear jolly little pal," Bob went on, "and she wanted to -occupy an adjoining cell." - -Dickie went up to Bob. "I'd like to give you another," he said in his -nastiest accents. - -"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" It was the voice of the man at the desk. -Authority now spoke. Up to now, amazement had held authority -tongue-tied. "The prisoner came quietly, Mr. Moriarity?" Authority knew, -then, the monocle-man. Evidently the two had a secret understanding. -"Has he confessed?" "Not as yet," said the monocle-man significantly. - -"And I'm not going to," spoke up Bob succinctly to the magistrate. "I'm -not guilty." - -"Then who is?" asked the monocle-man. - -"You've got your hand on his arm," said Bob in that same forcible -manner. The time had come for him to assert himself, however ridiculous -his affirmation might sound. Authority should have the truth. Bob -blurted it out fearlessly, holding his head well up as he spoke. "You've -got your hand on his arm," he repeated. - -Mr. Moriarity's reply quite took their breath away, especially Bob's. -"Guess you're right," he said promptly, and something bright gleamed in -his hand. "Don't move," he said to the hammer-thrower. - -"But aren't you going to lock _him_ up at all?" asked the commodore in -disappointed tones, indicating Bob, after the monocle-man had shown the -hammer-thrower a warrant for his (the hammer-thrower's) arrest, and had, -at the conclusion of certain formalities, caused that dazed and angry -individual to be led away. - -"I am certainly not going to lock Mr. Bennett up," laughed the -monocle-man who was in the best of humors. - -The coup seemed to him a lovely one. For months he had been on the trail -of the hammer-thrower. He told Bob--as dazed and bewildered as the -hammer-thrower by the unexpected turn of events--all about it later. He -had certainly taken an artistic way to complete the affair. And later, -not that night, Bob learned, too, that it was Miss Gerald herself who -had suggested the way, she having inherited some of the managerial -genius of her father. Maybe, she was not averse to Bob's suffering a -little after the wholly-intolerable way he had comported himself toward -her and others of her aunt's guests. Maybe cruelty had mingled somewhat -with retaliation. Proud, regal young womanhood sometimes can be cruel. -But Bob probably deserved all those twinges and pangs and mournful -emotions she had caused him. No one certainly had ever talked to her as -he had done. - -"May I sit down?" said Bob at length to the magistrate. He felt rather -tired. - -Authority gave him permission to sit. "Well, if you're not going to lock -him up," said that maniac-med., looking viciously at Bob, "I am." - -"No, you're not," observed the monocle-man easily. "Mr. Bennett is my -friend. He has helped me immensely in this affair. Had he not projected -his rather impetuous personality into it, certain difficulties would not -have been smoothed out so easily. He created a diversion which threw the -prisoner, naturally deep and resourceful, somewhat off his guard. But -for Mr. Bennett's whimsical and, at times, diverting conduct," with a -smile at Bob, "my fight against him," nodding toward the cell, "might -not have culminated quite so soon. So," he added to the enraged medico, -"Mr. Bennett has my full moral support, and, I may say," touching the -pocket into which he had returned that something bright, "my physical -support as well." "But what about the treatment I have received?" -stormed the med. "Locked up like--?" - -"You shouldn't have been prowling around. Anyhow, I shall advise my good -friend, Mr. Bennett, that should you seek to annoy him further, or to -lay a single finger on him, he will have an excellent case for damages. -I can explain away a great deal that is inexplicable to the rest of you, -and that explanation will serve fully to rehabilitate Mr. Bennett in the -esteem of certain people as a not unnormal person. How far I can restore -his popularity," with a laugh, "is another matter." - -Bob stared straight ahead. "How did you do it?" he said to the -monocle-man. "What made you certain?" - -"I saw him place the ring in your pocket. Feel here," walking over to -Bob. The latter felt where the other indicated. "A little vest-pocket -camera!" said the monocle-man softly. "I photographed the act--the -outstretched hand with the ring in it!--you, unsuspecting, half -sprawling over the green felt of the table! your coat tails inviting the -ring--Besides, one of my men took the place of that outside-operator and -received a certain little article of jewelry that night you came -blundering back to Mrs. Ralston's. We nabbed the outside-operator -and--well, he's told certain things." With satisfaction. "We have, in -short, a clear case." - -Bob held his head. "It's whirling," he said. "I'll get some things -straightened out after a little, I suppose." - -"That's right," observed the monocle-man. - -"There are some things you can't straighten out," said Dan in an ugly -tone. "This is all very well for you, but what about us?" - -Just at that moment there was a flutter of skirts at the door. - - * * * * * - -Gee-gee and Gid-up came in, the former in a state of great agitation. - -"How dared you?" she gasped, going up to the monocle-man and standing -with arms akimbo. - -"Send you that note, commanding your presence here?" said the -monocle-man. "I dared, my dear," he added slowly, "because I hold the -cards." - -"Don't you 'dear' me," she retorted stormily. - -"I wouldn't, seriously," he returned. "It might be dangerous. Women like -you are dangerous, you know. I fancy our friends here," glancing toward -the commodore and Clarence, "have found that out. But it will be a -lesson. 'We'll never wander more from our own fireside,'" he hummed. - -"Well," said Gee-gee, shaking her auburn tresses, "those were pretty -bold statements of what you could do to me, in that note you sent." - -"They were true, my dear." - -The green eyes flared. Gee-gee was shaking all over. Gid-up looked -rather frightened. - -"Take it easy," said the monocle-man. - -"I'd like to see you prove what you can do," she returned. "You say I -have framed-up a lot of false-hoods--a tissue of lies--in that affidavit -the lawyer at Mrs. Ralston's drew up. I tell you they're all true." Dan -looked weak. "Everything I've told happened just at I said it did, and -he knows it." Pointing a finger at the commodore. - -"I wonder if I ought not to put you in jail now?" said the monocle-man -meditatively. "There's a cell vacant next to the hammer-thrower. You -would be congenial spirits." - -"It's proofs I'm asking, Mr. Detective," retorted Gee-gee, apparently -not greatly abashed by this threat. She was accustomed to hitting back. - -"Yes, it's proofs," said Gid-up, but in weaker accents. - -The monocle-man shook a reproving finger at Gid-up. "You're in bad -company, my dear," he observed. "You're out of Gee-gee's class. You're -just trying to be in it." - -"I don't want any of your impertinence," answered Gid-up with a faint -imitation of Gee-gee's manner. "He's a proper bad one." Pointing to -Clarence who presented a picture of abject misery. "And when I tell all -the things he done to me--" - -"But you won't tell them." - -"I have." Defiantly. "In that paper the lawyer drew up." - -"But you're going to sign a little paper I have here, repudiating all -that," he answered her. - -"Oh, am I?" Elevating her turned-up nose. - -"You are." Blandly. - -"Guess again," said Gid-up saucily. - -"You can't prove what we told in that affidavit isn't true," reaffirmed -Gee-gee. Only she and Gid-up could know it was a "frame-up"; they had -builded carefully and were sure of their ground. "We know our rights and -we're going to have them. We're not afraid of you." - -"Then why are you here?" quietly. - -"That lawyer at the house said we might as well see you, just to call -your bluff. He said, since we had told the truth, we had nothing to -fear." - -"I don't think you're quite so confident as you seem," observed the -monocle-man. "My note awoke a little uneasiness, or you wouldn't be -here. This young lady," turning to Gid-up, "suffered a mild case of -stage fright, if I am any judge of human nature." - -"Me?" said Gid-up. "I defy you." - -"Here's the answer," replied the monocle-man, taking another paper from -his pocket. - -"What's that?" said Gee-gee scornfully. "I suppose it's some lies from -him." Alluding to the commodore. "The lawyer told me to be prepared for -them." - -"No; it isn't that. It's only a stenographic report of a conversation -you and your friend had together in your room, the night you arrived at -Mrs. Ralston's." - -"A stenographic report? Nonsense!" Sharply. Gee-gee remembered all about -that conversation. "How could you--" - -"There's a dictograph in the room you occupied, my dear," observed the -monocle-man. - -"A dic--" Gee-gee seemed to turn green. "Good Gawd!" she said. - - * * * * * - -It wasn't very long thereafter that Gee-gee and Gid-up departed. - -"Back to the old life!" said Gee-gee wearily. "And just when I thought -my ambition to be a star was coming true." - -"Life is sure tough," observed Gid-up, abandoning her society manner. - -"I'm sick of the whole thing. Got a mind to jump in the river." - -"Gas for me!" from poor Gid-up wearily. - -"No, you won't. And I won't. We'll just go on. Lord! how long." - -"Anyhow, that detective promised to introduce us to a real Russian grand -duke who's in old New York. Maybe we can get in the papers on that." - -"Perhaps." More thoughtfully from Gee-gee. "It wasn't so worse of the -detective to promise that, after he'd got us down and walked on us." - -"You must make dukie drink out of your slipper," suggested Gid-up. "The -detective said he was mad after beautiful stage girls. Grand dukes -always are." Hopefully. "And if you do make him do that, it would be -heralded from coast to coast." - -"It's as good as done," said Gee-gee confidently. "It'll prove me a -great actress, sure." In a brighter tone. - -"I always said you had talent," remarked Gid-up. - -"Cheese it," retorted Gee-gee elegantly. "Ain't you the fond flatterer!" - -"Anyhow, I'm glad I don't have to do society talk any more," said -Gid-up, and stuck a piece of gum in her mouth. - -"Yes," said Gee-gee, "my jaws is most broke." - -"Maybe you'd better tighten up your hobble a little for dukie," -suggested Gid-up. - -"Have to stand still the rest of my life if I did," observed Gee-gee, -swishing along about six inches a step. - -"You could divide it a little." - -"So I could." - -By this time they had forgotten about the river, or taking gas. The duke -had already become a real person in their lives and they talked on, -devising stunts for his Vivacious Greatness. By this time, too, the -monocle-man seemed to them a real benefactor. - -Meanwhile the "real benefactor" had been reading from that stenographic -report to Dan and the others. The commodore nearly jumped out of his -boots for joy. - -"Read that again," he said. - -The monocle-man, reading: "'This ain't half bad enough. You think up -something now, Gee-gee.' - -"'Doping a poor little thing is always good stuff to spring on a jury, -Gid-up. And you could make yourself up young with your hair done up in a -pigtail, with a cute little baby-blue bow on the end.' - -"'But that sounds old, Gee-gee. You can sure invent something new--'" -etc., etc. - -The monocle-man finished reading and laid down the paper. "There you -are, gentlemen," he observed in a lively tone. "The stenographers will -swear to that. They were dressed as house-maids, but at night and on -certain occasions, they used one of the rooms Mrs. Ralston placed at my -disposal as an office. When I came down here I didn't expect to be -involved in a domestic drama. It rather forced itself upon me. It came -as part of the day's work. I overheard your conversation with Miss Dolly -that night." Significantly to Bob. That young gentleman flushed. - -"I have taken the liberty of destroying the report of that conversation, -I may add. Miss Dolly is charming." With a smile. "I, also, had a record -of your conversation with these three gentlemen"--indicating Dan, -Clarence and Dickie--"after they entered your room one night, via the -trellis and the window. That conversation introduced me into the -domestic drama. I became an actor in it whether I would or not. But for -my whispered instructions to one of my assistants in the garden, you -three gentlemen would have been arrested." Dan stared at Clarence in -momentary consternation. "You did not need the golf-club because my man -removed the dog." - -"It seems," said Dan effusively to the monocle-man, "you have been our -good angel. If any remuneration--?" - -"No," answered the monocle-man. "What I have done for you was only -incidental and my reward was the enjoyment I got out of the affair--in -watching how the threads crossed and recrossed, and how they tangled and -untangled. It was better than going to a show. It made work a pleasure. -Besides, I shall be well rewarded for what I have accomplished in -another direction." Looking toward the cell. - -"I tried to get him in England and failed. In France, the story was the -same. He is rather a remarkable personality. A born criminal and an -actor, as well! Of good family, he wedged his way into society, through -the all-round amateur athletic route. He was generally well liked." Bob -thought of Miss Gerald and looked down. He couldn't help wondering if -she would not greatly have preferred his (Bob's) occupying that cell, -instead of the other man who had seemed to interest her so much. - -"Now for Mrs. Dan," observed the commodore, jubilantly waving the -stenographic report. "This will bring her to time." - -"And my wife, too!" said Clarence with equal joy. - -"I thought I would save you gentlemen some trouble and so have already -placed the report in the ladies' hands," said the monocle-man affably. -"Indeed, they came to me afterward and told me they had been shamefully -deceived. Mrs. Dan looked as if she had had a good cry--from joy, no -doubt. Mrs. Clarence's voice was tremulous. Same cause, I am sure. I -think you will find them contrite and anxious to make up." - -"This is great," said Dan. - -"Glorious!" observed Clarence. - -"Think of it! No public disgrace!" - -"No being held up as monsters in the press!" - -"It's too good to be true." The commodore threw out his arms and -advanced toward the monocle-man. - -But the latter waved him away. "Save your embraces for your wives," he -observed. - -"I love all the world," said Dan. - -"Me, too!" from Clarence. - -"I presume I am free to take my departure, gentlemen?" said Bob, rising. - -"You are free as the birds of the air for all of me," answered the -monocle-man. - -"Hold on one moment," begged the commodore. "No; I'm not going to detain -you forcibly. As a friend I ask you to wait." Bob paused. "I'm a good -fellow," said Dan effusively, "and I don't wish the world harm. I don't -want you to go wandering around any more as you are. Why, you're a -regular Frankenstein. You're an iron automaton that goes about trampling -on people. After all I've gone through, I have charity toward others. I -won't have you treading on people's finer sensibilities and smashing -connubial peace and comfort all to splinters." - -"But what can I do?" suggested Bob. He meant the three weeks weren't yet -up. - -"Here's what I propose to Clarence and Dickie. I see now you'll win, -anyhow. You've got the grit and the nerve. So as long as we have simply -got to pay in the end, why not do so at once and so spare others? -That'll be the way I'll pay him." Alluding to the monocle-man. "It's my -way of showing my gratitude for what he's done. And now I think of it, I -can't see that I ought to blame you so much, Bob, for all that has -transpired." - -"Oh, you don't?" With faint irony. - -"No; you only did what you had to, and maybe we were a little rough. -Forget it." The commodore extended his hand. - -The act melted Bob. He took it. "Good friends, once more!" chirped Dan, -and extended an arm to include Clarence. "You've won. The money's fairly -yours, Bob. Only as a personal favor, I ask you to be, at once, as you -were. Be your old natural self immediately." - -"I'll pay my share to have him that way again," said Clarence heartily. -"I want to spare the world too. Besides, he's won all right enough." - -"It's three weeks or nothing from me," said Dickie. "You chaps may want -to spare the world, but I don't want to spare him." - -"I'll pay for Dickie," replied good old Dan. "And gladly!" - -Dickie shrugged. Dan wrote out a check. "Congratulations!" he said. "And -for us, too!" Turning to Clarence. "Think of the thousands in alimony it -might have cost us!" - -"We've simply got to call a halt on old Bob," said Clarence fervently. -"Bet's off! We lose." - -Bob took the check. "I believe I am entitled to it, for I certainly -would have stuck it out now. I am sure I wouldn't do it all over again, -though, for ten times the amount. Nevertheless, I thank you." He shook -himself. "Free! Isn't it great? Will you do something for me?" To the -monocle-man. - -"Gladly," was the reply. "I was secretly informed of that wager of yours -and I was immensely interested in your little social experiment. You see -I make my living by prevarication and subterfuges. And that"--with a -laugh--"is more than a man can make by telling the truth. It's a wicked -world. Fraud and humbug are trumps." - -"What I want you to do," said Bob, ignoring this homily, "is to express -my grip to New York. Also, tell Miss Gerald that I've gone and kindly -thank Mrs Ralston and Miss Gerald for asking me down." - -"Why don't you thank them yourself?" - -"I think they would be more pleased if I complied with the formalities -by proxy." - -"Shall I add you had a charming time?" - -"You may use your own judgment." - -Bob walked to the door. - -"I guess it's I who am crazy," said the maniac-doctor, again waking up. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII--MAKING GOOD - - -Bob sent dad a modest-sized check the next day. "Result of hustling," he -wrote. "Spend freely. There'll be more coming presently." Then Bob went -down on the narrow road that isn't straight, but that has a crook in it. -He stopped somewhere near the crook, and entering an office greeted a -melancholy-looking man who had "bad business" and "country going to pot" -written all over his face. The melancholy man was a club acquaintance. - -"What's the most abused and worst thing on the street that isn't -straight?" said Bob debonairly. - -"That's right. Call us names," replied the melancholy man with a sigh. -"Everybody's doing it." - -"Have you got something so awful people turn their heads away when you -speak of it?" - -"There's the Utopian," observed the other. "Only a buzzard would get -near it." - -"Do they call the promoter a thief?" - -"They do." - -"And is he crazy?" - -"He is. It's either jail or a lunatic asylum for him." - -Bob handed what was left of the commodore's check to the melancholy man. -"Buy Utopian," he said. - -"All right," answered the melancholy man listlessly. He was beyond -feeling any emotion. - -"I believe in Utopian," observed Bob. "I have here," touching his -forehead, "inside information that it is an excellent little railroad -property." - -"Oh, it isn't a railroad," said the melancholy man. "It's--" - -"Don't tell me what it is," retorted Bob. "Repeat some of those things -the world calls the promoter." - -The melancholy man was obliging. - -"Heavens! He must be an awful honest man!" said Bob and started toward -the door, where he turned. "Pyramid with the profits." And Bob walked -out. - -That afternoon he went to a real-estate man and asked where he could -lease a small factory. While at college he had invented a small -appliance for automobiles, which he felt sure was good and would commend -itself to manufacturers. Bob knew about all there was to know about a -car. After he had looked at several old deserted buildings on the -outskirts, any one of which might answer his purpose, Bob strolled into -a number of automobile agencies near Columbus Square, and showed them -his little patent. The men in charge were willing to express an opinion; -several appeared interested. Of course, Bob would ultimately have to go -to the "higher-ups," but he wanted first to find out what these -practical chaps thought. One of them even asked Bob if he wanted a -partner? Bob didn't. He had all the capital needed, he replied. - -He was taking a serious sober view of life now. He felt himself no -longer "darn fool Bob," or careless Bob, or lazy Bob. He might have done -something with his little device long ago, but he had forgotten all -about it. Its creation had been a passing whim. Bob really had a good -head for machinery though, and now he was beginning to feel out his -path. He wanted to work hard, too, which was a novel sensation. It felt, -also, like a permanent sensation. Meeting several chaps, he refused -their invitations to partake of the sparkling, much to their surprise, -as heretofore he had been a prince of good fellows. Henceforth, however, -he was going to be king of himself. - -That night, in the old home, in the old square, Dolly called him up by -telephone. - -"How _could_ you disappoint me so!" said jolly little pal. "The idea of -your just pretending to be a burglar." - -"Me, pretend?" Bob laughed. "I say, that's good. Didn't I tell you all -along I wasn't?" - -"But why didn't you _make_ me believe you weren't?" retorted little pal -reproachfully. "To think of your deceiving me like that!" - -"Deceive you? That's good, too. Why, I told you again and again I was -just a plain ordinary person. You were just bound to idealize me!" - -There was a brief pause. "Are you so disappointed in me, you are going -to disown me now?" continued Bob. - -"No-a. I'm still your jolly little pal. Only to think though, there -never was a chance for those adjoining cells, after all!" - -"Well, there seemed a good chance, anyhow." - -"Yes, it was nice and exciting while it lasted." The temperamental -little thing sighed. "It's awful humdrum up here now." - -Bob didn't ask any questions about the people up there. "You ought to -have fallen in love with the hammer-thrower," he said. "He was the real -thing." - -"I suppose I should have," she seemed to agree. "Wasn't I stupid? Never -mind. Say something nice." - -"Like you," said Bob. - -"Heaps? I need cheering." - -"Heaps." - -"Much obliged. You're awfully good. What are you doing this evening?" - -"I was sitting by the fire in dad's old-fashioned den, thinking and -dreaming." - -"All alone?" - -"Entirely." - -"What were you thinking of?" - -"Machinery. And a factory." - -"And will it have a tall chimney that belches smoke?" - -"I trust ultimately to attain to the kind of a chimney you refer to. At -present, I shall have to content myself with a comparatively -insignificant one. I have visions of a chimney four hundred feet high -some day." - -"Belching ugly smoke?" - -"It won't look ugly to me. It'll look blissful." - -The biggest sigh of all quivered from afar. "Another dream shattered! -My! but I'm growing up fast. I feel a million years old. Anyhow, I'll -never marry Dickie." - -"Wouldn't if I were you. He doesn't fight fair. Before he got through -he'd have all your dad's chimneys, as well as his own, and then he'd put -you on an allowance. You'd have to account for every pin and needle you -bought." - -"Yes; I know. When I do find the right man I'll bring him to you and let -you pass in judgment. You shall tell me whether I can or can't." - -"All right--though isn't that rather a paternal prerogative?" - -"Oh, dad always lets me do what I want. You're the only man that has -ever dared oppose me." - -"But suppose I did oppose you in a matter of such importance?" - -Miss Dolly thought. "We won't cross that bridge before we come to it. -You said you were thinking _and_ dreaming. I know what you were thinking -about. Now, what were you dreaming about all by your lonely, sitting by -the fire?" - -Bob was glad he didn't have to blurt out the truth any more. He evaded. -"Did I say dreaming?" he asked. - -"You did. Was it of some one?" - -"Pooh! What nonsense!" - -"Oh, it isn't nonsense to do that." - -"I was only thinking of chimneys and things like that," returned Bob. -That was an out-and-outer. He shuddered to think of the answer he would -have had to make a few days ago. - -"Never mind," said the jolly little pal. "You needn't tell me. There are -some things we keep locked up, forever and ever, in the inner sanctums -of our hearts, aren't there?" Sadly. "And we die and they are buried -with us. Oh, dear! I'm beginning to feel dreadful. Only jolly little pal -is awfully sorry." For him, she meant. Bob winced. "I hate to think of -you sitting there, poor dear, all alone, and--and--" - -"I'm having a bully time--honest," said Bob. "I really am. I'm planning -out my future. I'm going to do something. I'm tired of being nothing. -I'll work right with the workmen at first." - -"And you will be all perspirey and covered with soot?" In horror. - -"I'll be worse than that. I'll be sweaty and covered with soot," said -Bob practically. - -Dolly groaned. "It seems to me as if everything is upside down." - -"No. Downside down. 'Life is real; life is earnest,'" he quoted, -laughing. - -"Oh, dear! That solemn sound! I can tell you are terribly determined." -He did not answer. "Well, good-by, great, big, perspirey--I mean sweaty, -sooty old pal!" - -"Good-by, Dolly. And thank you for calling me up. It did me good to hear -little pal's voice. Wish me luck." - -"I'll send you a horseshoe to-morrow," she laughed. And then suddenly, -as an afterthought-- "By the way, I have a 'fession to make." - -"All right. 'Fess ahead." - -"Well, I don't suppose I really and truly--deep down, you know--actually -ever did quite think you were a regular burglar. I guess it was the -dramatic situation that appealed to me. I've often thought I had -'histrionic ability' and you did make such a big, bold, handsome, -darling make-believe burglar to play with, I just couldn't resist." - -"I understand!" said Bob. "I guess--deep down--I guessed as much." And -rang off. - -Bob went back to the fireplace. Was he dreaming now or only thinking? -Dolly's voice had taken him back to Mrs. Ralston's, and the coals now -framed a face. He looked quickly from them, his eyes following the smoke -of his pipe. But the smoke now framed the face. Bob half-closed his eyes -an instant, then resolutely he laid down his pipe and went to bed. Dad -had closed the rather spacious old-fashioned house when he went away, -and a momentary feeling of loneliness assailed Bob, as he realized there -was no other person in the place, but he fought it down. Work was his -incentive now--hard work-- - -The next day he learned they had lodged the promoter in jail. The big -men had gone gunning for him, and, as usual, they got him. They got the -"Utopian," too. They took that because there wasn't anything else to -take. Incidentally, they discredited the broker's statement that no one -but a buzzard would go near it. Or, maybe, some of the big men were -buzzards in disguise. Anyhow, they had the Utopian on their hands, and -after they had settled with the promoter who had dared cross the trail -of the big interests in his operations, they poked their fingers into -Utopian and prodded it and examined it more carefully and discovered -that with "honest judicial management" and a proper application of more -funds that which had been but an odorous prospect might be converted -into a "property." The promoter had taken funds which he shouldn't so he -was out of their way, until he got pardoned. - -The Utopian accordingly now began to soar. There were plenty of people -who would sniff at it in its new aspect, and take a bite, too. A shoal -of speculators wanted to get aboard. That "honest management" was a -bait; that "property" probability became a "sure thing." Big names were -juggled in little offices. The usual thing happened--just one of those -common occurrences hardly worth describing--only later it would probably -be included in a congressional investigation and there would be a few -reverberations at Albany. Bob pulled out in about two days. - -"How'd you know?" said the broker. - -"Fellow feeling. Been called a thief and a crazy man, myself." - -"What you want to buy now? The next rankest thing I know of is--" - -Bob shook his head. "Never again. Good-by forever." - -"Good-by," said the melancholy man. He thought he would see Bob down -there again some day, but he never did. Bob went to a bank and opened an -account. He wasn't exactly rich but he had a nice comfortable feeling. -Moreover he expected to build solidly. He leased the factory and then he -went to work. Dad came home. He didn't seem much interested in what Bob -was doing. He loafed around and told fish stories. Bob got up about five -a.m. but dad didn't arise until nine. Sometimes he had his breakfast in -bed and had his man bring him the newspaper. Bob didn't have a man, -though he soon began to prosper. The device was considered necessary in -the trade; it proved practical. - -Bob added to his factory and built a fair-sized chimney. Dreamily he -wondered if it would realize jolly little chum's idea of a chimney. He -had to cut out all the social functions now for he was so tired when he -got home he wanted only his dinner and his pipe and bed. Dad, however, -stayed out late. He remarked once he thought he would learn to tango. -Bob never knew though whether he carried out the idea or not. - -The newspapers, a few months later, apprised Bob that Gee-gee had landed -the grand duke. A snapshot revealed him imbibing from Gee-gee's -Cinderella slipper. Possibly the grand duke was enraged over the -snap-shot. More likely, however, he didn't care; he was so high up he -could do anything and snap his fingers at the world. Bob permitted -himself a little recreation; out of mild curiosity, he went to see -Gee-gee. She now had a fair-sized part and was talked about. -Incidentally, she had acquired a few additional wriggles. - -His Vivacious Highness sat in a box and Gee-gee wriggled mostly for him. -She hardly looked at the audience, but the audience didn't act offended. -It applauded. Gee-gee's dream had come true. She was a star. And to her -credit she reached out a helping hand to Gid-up. The latter now said -more than "Send for the doctor." She had eight lines--which was -certainly getting on some. Bob, however, didn't notice Dan or Clarence -in the audience. They were probably billing and cooing at home now. Only -grand dukes can afford to toy with Gee-gees. Bob didn't stay to see and -hear it all for a little of Gee-gee went a long way, and besides, he had -to get up early. Dad though, who accompanied Bob, said he would stay -right through. - -Once on Fifth Avenue, Bob passed Miss Gerald; she was just getting out -of her car. An awful temptation seized him to stop, but he managed to -suppress it, for he had himself fairly in hand by this time. He saw they -would almost meet, but there were many people and, in the press, he -didn't have to see her. So he didn't. He felt sure she would cut him if -he did. It was the first foolish thing he had done for some time; he -realized that when he got away. But what was he to do? He objected to -being cut, and by her, of all persons. He regretted the incident very -much. It hurt his pride and, of course, he had earned her dislike. - -Bob hied him factoryward and toiled mightily that day. It was -work--work--though to what end? If he only knew! He had tried to tell -himself that he was learning to forget, that he was becoming reconciled -to the inevitable, but that quick glimpse he had caught of her from a -distance, before he drifted by with the others, had set his pulses -tingling. For a moment now Bob gave way to dreaming; the day was almost -done. He sat with his head on his hand and his elbow on the desk. He had -shown he was more than a dancing man. He would now have to fight an even -harder battle. He would have to take her out of his heart and mind. - -But he couldn't do that. It was impossible, when his whole nature -clamored for her. He yielded now to the dubious luxury of thinking of -her. He hoped he wouldn't see her again and then gradually he would win -in that fight against nature--or do his best to. Yes; he must do his -best; he must, he repeated to himself, closing a firm hand resolutely. -Then he started and stared--at a vision standing before him. - -"Why did you cut me to-day?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV--AT THE PORTALS - - -It was some time before Bob recovered sufficiently to answer. -Fortunately they were alone in Bob's private office. From below came the -sound of hammers, but that and the dingy surroundings did not seem to -disconcert her. She looked at Bob coldly, the violet eyes full of -directness. - -"I--well, I feared you would cut me," stammered Bob. "Won't--won't you -sit down?" - -"No, thank you. At least, not yet. I," accusingly, "am not accustomed to -being cut, and if any of my friends cut me, I want to know why. That's -why I am here." - -She was her father's daughter at that moment--straight, forceful. - -"But," said Bob eagerly, looking once more the way he used to, before he -had got into this sobering business of manufacturer, "that's just the -point. You see I felt I had somehow forfeited my right to be one of your -friends. I felt out of the pale." - -"Do you think you deserve to forfeit the right?" - -"I--perhaps. I don't know. I'm very confused about all that happened at -your aunt's place." - -Was that the shadow of a smile on the proud lips? Bob wasn't looking at -her. He dared not. He was talking to a drawing of his device. - -"Perhaps you have heard of that confounded wager," he went on. "I told -you why I--I didn't want to see you. At least, I think I did." - -"I have a vague impression of something of the kind," said the girl. - -"And there you are," observed Bob helplessly. "It was an awful muddle, -all right. You certainly punished me some, though. Honestly, if I -offended you, you did get back good and hard." - -"Did I?" said she tentatively. "Is that a drawing of it on the wall?" -She was looking at the device. - -"Yes. That's what I make." - -"Won't you show me around?" - -Bob did, walking as in a dream among the dingy workmen who paused as the -vision passed. For a long time they talked--just plain ordinary talk. -Then he told her how he was inventing something else and Miss Gerald -listened while all differences seemed magically to have dropped between -them. Drinking deep of the joy of the moment, Bob yielded to the -unadulterated happiness that went with being near her. He forgot all -about the long future when he would see her no more. - -Finally Miss Gerald got up to go. They had returned to Bob's office and -she had seated herself in a shabby old chair. - -Bob's face fell. His heart had been beating fast and the old light had -come to his eyes. - -"Going?" he said awkwardly. - -"Yes." - -She put out her hand and Bob took it, looking into her eyes. Then--he -never knew how it happened--he had her in his arms. Bang! bang! went -Bob's hammers below and they seemed to be competing with the beating of -his heart. At length the girl stirred slightly. She was wonderful in her -proud compliance to Bob's somewhat chaotic and over-powering expression -of his emotions. "I suffered, too, a little, perhaps," she said. - -That nearly completed Bob's undoing. "You! you!" he said, holding her -from him and regarding her face eagerly, devouringly. - -"Yes," the proud lips curled a little, "I haven't really a heart of -stone, you know." - -Then Bob became chaotic once more for it was as if heaven had been -hurled at him. He spoke burning words of truth and this time they did -not get him into trouble. She drank them all in, too. Then he began to -ask questions in that same chaotic manner. He was so masterful she had -to answer. - -"Yes, yes," she said, "of course, I do." - -"When did it begin?" - -"A long, long time ago." - -"You have loved me a long time?" he exulted and drew a deep breath. "A -moment ago I was pondering on the problems of life and wondering what -was the use of it all? Now--" He paused. - -"Now?" said the girl and her eyes were direct and clear. The love light -in them--for it was that--shone as the light of stars. - -Bob threw out his arms. "Life is great," he said. - -A moment they stood apart and looked at each other. "It can't be," said -Bob. "It is too much to believe. I certainly must prove it once more." - -"One moment," said Miss Gerald. "Dolly told me you kissed her." - -"I did." - -"Why, if as you say, it was only I--?" - -Bob was silent. - -"Did--did she ask you to?" - -Bob did not answer. - -"You don't answer?" The violet eyes studied him discerningly. - -"All I can say is I did kiss her." He would not betray jolly little pal. - -The violet eyes looked satisfied. "You have answered," she said. "I -think I understand the situation thoroughly." - -Bob impetuously wanted to demonstrate once more that she was really -she--that it wasn't a dream--but she held him back and looked into his -eyes. "You've said a good many things," said Miss Gerald. "But there's -one you haven't." - -"What?" - -"It's one you really ought to ask, after all this demonstration." - -"Oh!" said Bob loudly. "Will you marry me?" - -"Yes," she answered. And for the first time voluntarily offered him her -lips. - -Suddenly the sound of hammers stopped. - -"What's happening?" she asked. - -"Closing time. May I see you to your car?" - -"Yes," she laughed, "if you will get in." - -"I'll get in if you won't be ashamed of having a rather dingy-looking -individual by your side?" - -"I'm proud of you, Bob," said her father's daughter. "And I believe in -you." - -"And--?" he suggested. - -"I love you," she said simply. - -Bob tried to say something, but words didn't seem to come. Then silently -he opened the door and they passed out. He helped her in the car and -held a small gloved hand all the way down Fifth Avenue. Young people who -can be cruel are, also, capable of going to the other extreme. It wasn't -Fifth Avenue for Bob. It was Paradise. - -Dad heard the news that night. "Of course," he said. "I expected it." -Then, with a twinkle of the eye. "But I'm glad you got started in life -for yourself first, son. I was afraid you would ask her before you had -the right." - -"You afraid? Then you did suggest my doing it, just to try me, to see -what kind of stuff I was made of? I thought so. I told her so." Bob's -eyes now began to twinkle. "Sure that's all you did, dad, to find out if -I was a real man or a sawdust one?" - -"Perhaps I did misrepresent slightly the state of the parental -exchequer. As a matter of fact, I'm still pretty well off, Bob. Though -they did bounce me a little, I was not so much ruined as I let people -think. I didn't deny those bankruptcy stories, because I wanted you to -make good, dear boy. And you have!" There was pride and affection in -dad's tones. "But now that you have, there will be no further need to -continue that Japanese custom. I have ample for my simple needs and a -little left over to go fishing with." - -Bob might have protested, but just at that moment a car swung in front -of the house, where it stopped. On the back seat sat a lady. The driver -got out and started up the steps to dad's house. By this time Bob was -coming down the steps. He hastened to the lady. - -"So good of you!" he said, his eyes alight. "I ordered to-day that car -of my own," he added, leaning over the door. - -"Are you sure you can afford it yet?" she laughed. - -"Sure. And it will be a beauty. As fit for you as any car could be!" - -"Are you going like that--hatless?" she asked. - -"I--well, I was wondering if I couldn't induce you to come in for a -moment?" Eagerly. "Want you to meet dad. Or shall I bring him out here?" - -"I'll go in, of course," she said, rising at once. "And I shall be very -glad." - -"He--he was only trying me out, after all," spoke Bob as he opened the -door of the car. "That advice, I mean. You remember? And he pretended to -be broke, too, just to test me. He told me just now." - -"I think I shall like your father," said Miss Gerald. - -"Oh, we're bully chums!" - -By this time they were in the house. Bob took her by the hand and led -her to dad. - -"I remember your mother and I knew your father," said dad, when Bob had -presented him. "Your mother was very beautiful." - -Gwendoline thanked him, while Bob gazed upon her with adoring eyes. - -"Isn't she wonderful, dad?" he said. - -"Wonderful, indeed," said dad fondly, a little sadly. Perhaps he was -thinking of the time when his own bride had stood right there, in the -home he had bought for her. Perhaps he saw her eyes with the light of -love in them--eyes long since closed. "I trust you will not think me -trite if I say, God bless you," murmured dad. - -"I won't think you trite at all," said Gwendoline Gerald, approaching -nearer to dad. "I think it very nice." - -"And would you think me trite if I--?" - -Dad's meaning was apparent for Gwendoline's golden head bent toward him -and dad's lips just brushed the fair brow. - -"I'm very glad. I think Bob will make a good husband. He will have to -set himself a high mark though, to deserve you, my dear." - -"That's just what I keep telling her myself," observed Bob. He -experienced anew a touch of that chaotic feeling but didn't give way to -it on account of dad's being there. - -"Don't set the mark too high, or you may leave me far behind," laughed -Gwendoline Gerald. "By the way I've asked Dolly to be first bridesmaid -and she has consented. Said she supposed that was the 'next best thing,' -though I can't imagine what she meant." - -"That's jolly," said Bob. He thrilled at these little delicious details -of the approaching event. "But I suppose we should be going now." - -"Is it the opera?" asked dad. - -Bob answered that it was. "She insisted on coming for me in her car," he -laughed. "Would have had one myself now if I had imagined anything like -this. It was rather sudden, you know." - -"It looks as if I made him do it," said the girl with a laugh. "I went -right to his office, and that, after his refusing me once, when I -proposed to him." - -"Did you do that, Bob?" - -"Well, I didn't believe she meant it. Did you?" To Miss Gerald. - -"That's telling," said Gwendoline, and looked so inviting in that -wonderful opera costume, so white and tall and alluring, so many other -things calculated to fire a young man's soul, that Bob had difficulty -not to resort to extreme masculine measures to make her tell. - -"Hope you have a pleasant evening," observed dad politely as they went -out together, a couple the neighbors might well find excuse to stare at. - -"Oh, I guess we'll manage to pull through," said Bob. - -Their first evening out all alone by themselves in great, big gay New -York! It was nice and shadowy, too, in the big limousine where the dim -light spiritualized the girl's beauty. - -"Tell now," he urged, "what I asked you in there?" - -"Did I mean it?" Her starry eyes met his. "Perhaps a little bit. But I'm -glad you didn't accept. I'm glad it came out the other way," she -laughed. - -Bob forgot there was a possibility of some one peering in and seeing -them. Those laughing lips were such a tremendous lure. Then they both -sat very still. Wheels sang around them; there was magic in the air. - -"Just think of it!" said Bob with sudden new elation. - -"What?" - -"Why, there'll be nights and nights like this," he said, as if he had -made an important new discovery. - -"And 'then some'!" added the classical young goddess non-classically and -gaily, as they turned into the Great White Way. - - THE END - - - - - By FREDERIC S. ISHAM - - The Strollers. Illustrated by Harrison Fisher. 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - Under the Rose. Illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy, 12mo, Cloth, - $1.50 - Black Friday. Illustrated by Harrison Fisher, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - The Lady of the Mount. Illustrated by Lester Ralph, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - Half a Chance. Illustrated by Herman Pfeifer, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - The Social Buccaneer. Illustrated by W. B. King, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - A Man and His Money. Illustrated by Max J. Spero, 12mo, Cloth, $1.25 - Net - Aladdin from Broadway. Illustrated by William Thatcher Van Dresser, - 12mo, Cloth, $1.25 Net - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. Isham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - -***** This file should be named 43916-8.txt or 43916-8.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/9/1/43916/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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Isham"/> @@ -31,41 +31,8 @@ p.toch { text-align:center; text-indent: 0; font-size:1.2em; margin: 1em auto; } </style> </head> - <body> - - -<pre> - -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. Isham - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with -almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Nothing But the Truth - -Author: Frederic S. Isham - -Release Date: October 9, 2013 [EBook #43916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - -</pre> +<body> +<div>*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK 43916 ***</div> <div class='lgc'> <p class='line' style='margin-top:2.0em;font-size:1.4em;'>NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH</p> @@ -11139,380 +11106,7 @@ Great White Way.</p> <p class='line0'>Aladdin from Broadway. Illustrated by William Thatcher Van Dresser, 12mo, Cloth, $1.25 Net</p> </div></div> <div style='clear:both'/> <!-- end poetry block --> - - - - - - - - -<pre> - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. 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You may copy it, give it away or -re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included -with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org - - -Title: Nothing But the Truth - -Author: Frederic S. Isham - -Release Date: October 9, 2013 [EBook #43916] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: ASCII - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - - - - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - - - - - NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - - By - - FREDERIC S. ISHAM - - Author of - The Strollers, Under the Rose, - The Social Buccaneer, Etc. - - INDIANAPOLIS - THE BOBBS-MERRILL COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - - Copyright 1914 - The Bobbs-Merrill Company - - PRESS OF - BRAUNWORTH & CO. - BOOKBINDERS AND PRINTERS - BROOKLYN, N. Y. - - - - - Table of Contents - - THE TEMERITY OF BOB - A TRY-OUT - AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING - A CHAT ON THE LINKS - TRIVIALITIES - DINNER - VARYING VICISSITUDES - NEW COMPLICATIONS - ANOTHER SURPRISE - INTO BONDAGE - FISHING - JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER - AN ENFORCED REST CURE - MUTINY - AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW - PLAYING WITH BOB - A GOOD DEAL OF GEE-GEE - A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY - BOB FORGETS HIMSELF - HAND-READING - HEART OF STONE - A REAL BENEFACTOR - MAKING GOOD - AT THE PORTALS - - - - - NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH - - - - - CHAPTER I--THE TEMERITY OF BOB - - -"It can't be done." - -"Of course, it can." - -"A man couldn't survive the ordeal." - -"Could do it myself." - -The scene was the University Club. The talk spread over a good deal of -space, as talk will when pink cocktails, or "green gardens in a glass" -confront, or are in front of, the talkees. Dickie said it couldn't be -done and Bob said it was possible and that he could do it. He might not -have felt such confidence had it not been for the verdant stimulation. -He could have done anything just then, so why not this particular feat -or stunt? And who was this temerarious one and what was he like? - -As an excellent specimen of a masculine young animal, genus homo, Bob -Bennett was good to look on. Some of those young ladies who wave banners -when young men strain their backs and their arms and their legs in the -cause of learning, had, in the days of the not remote past, dubbed him, -sub rosa, the "blue-eyed Apollo." Some of the fellows not so -euphemistically inclined had, however, during that same glorious period -found frequent occasion to refer to him less classically, if more -truthfully, as "that darn fool, Bob Bennett." That was on account of a -streak of wildness in him, for he was a free bold creature, was Bob. -Conventional bars and gates chafed him. He may have looked like a -"blue-eyed Apollo," but his spirit had the wings of a wild goose, than -which there are no faster birds--for a wild goose is the biplane of the -empyrean. - -Now that Bob had ceased the chase for learning and was out in the wide -world, he should have acquired an additional sobriquet--that of -"Impecunious Bob." It would have fitted his pecuniary condition very -nicely. Once he had had great expectations, but alas!--dad had just -"come a cropper." They had sheared him on the street. The world in -general didn't know about it yet, but Bob did. - -"We're broke, Bob," said dad that very morning. - -"That's all right, Gov.," said Bob. "Can you get up?" - -"I can't even procure a pair of crutches to hobble with," answered dad. - -"Never mind," observed Bob magnanimously. "You've done pretty well by me -up to date. Don't you worry or reproach yourself. I'm not going to heap -abuse on those gray hairs." - -"Thanks, Bob." Coolly. "_I'm_ not worrying. You see, it's up to you -now." - -"Me?" Bob stared. - -"Yes. You see I believe in the Japanese method." - -"What's that?" Uneasily. - -"Duty of a child to support his parent, when said child is grown up!" - -Bob whistled. "Say, Gov., do you mean it?" - -"Gospel truth, Bob." - -Bob whistled again. "Not joking?" - -"'Pon honor!" Cheerfully. - -"I never did like the Japanese," from Bob, sotto voce. "Blame lot of -heathens--that's what they are!" - -"I've got a dollar or two that I owe tucked away where no one can find -it except me," went on dad, unmindful of Bob's little soliloquy. "That -will have to last until you come to the rescue." - -"Gee! I'm glad you were thoughtful enough for that!" ejaculated the -young man. "Sure you can keep it hidden?" - -"Burglars couldn't find it," said dad confidently, "let alone my -creditors--God bless them! But it won't last long, Bob. Bear that in -mind. It'll be a mighty short respite." - -"Oh, I'll not forget it. If--if it's not an impertinence, may I ask what -_you_ are going to do, dad?" - -"I'm contemplating a fishing trip, first of all, and after that--quien -sabe? Some pleasure suitable to my retired condition will undoubtedly -suggest itself. I may take up the study of philosophy. Confucius has -always interested me. They say it takes forty years to read him and then -forty years to digest what you have read. The occupation would, no -doubt, prove adequate. But don't concern yourself about that, dear boy. -I'll get on. You owe me a large debt of gratitude. I'm thrusting a great -responsibility on you. It should be the making of you." Bob had his -secret doubts. "Get out and hustle, dear boy. It's up to you, now!" And -he spread out his hands in care-free fashion and smiled blandly. No -Buddha could have appeared more complacent--only instead of a lotus -flower, Bob's dad held in his hand a long black weed, the puffing of -which seemed to afford a large measure of ecstatic satisfaction. "Go!" -He waved the free hand. "My blessing on your efforts." - -Bob started to go, and then he lingered. "Perhaps," he said, "you can -tell me _what_ I am going to do?" - -"Don't know." Cheerfully. - -"What _can_ I do?" Hopelessly. - -"Couldn't say." - -"I don't know _anything_." - -"Ha! ha!" Dad laughed, as if son had sprung a joke. "Well, that is a -condition experience will remove. Experience _and_ hard knocks," he -added. - -Bob swore softly. His head was humming. No heroic purpose to get out and -fight his way moved him. He didn't care about shoveling earth, or -chopping down trees. He had no frenzied desire to brave the -sixty-below-zero temperature of the Klondike in a mad search for gold. -In a word, he didn't feel at all like the heroes in the books who -conquer under almost impossible conditions in the vastnesses of the -"open," and incidentally whallop a few herculean simple-minded sons of -nature, just to prove that breed is better than brawn. - -"Of course, I could give you a little advice, Bob," said the governor -softly. "If you should find hustling a bit arduous for one of your -luxurious nature, there's an alternative. It is always open to a young -man upon whom nature has showered her favors." - -"Don't know what you mean by that last," growled Bob, who disliked -personalities. "But what is the alternative to hustling?" - -"Get married," said dad coolly. - -Bob changed color. Dad watched him keenly. - -"There's always the matrimonial market for young men who have not -learned to specialize. I've known many such marriages to turn out -happily, too. Marrying right, my boy, is a practical, not a sentimental -business." - -Bob looked disgusted. - -"There's Miss Gwendoline Gerald, for example. Millions in her own name, -and--" - -"Hold on, dad!" cried Bob. His face was flaming now. The blue eyes -gleamed almost fiercely. - -"I knew you were acquainted," observed dad softly, still studying him. -"Besides she's a beautiful girl and--" - -"Drop it, dad!" burst from Bob. "We've never had a quarrel, but--" -Suddenly he realized his attitude was actually menacing. And toward -dad--his own dad! "I beg your pardon, sir," he muttered contritely. "I'm -afraid I am forgetting myself. But please turn the talk." - -"All right," said dad. "I forgive you. I was only trying to elucidate -your position. But since it's not to be the matrimonial market, it'll -have to be a hustle, my boy. I'm too old to make another fortune. I've -done my bit and now I'm going to retire on my son. Sounds fair and -equitable, doesn't it, Bob?" - -"I'd hate to contradict you, sir," the other answered moodily. - -Dad walked up to him and laid an arm affectionately upon son's broad -shoulders. "I've the utmost confidence in you, my boy," he said, with a -bland smile. - -"Thank you, sir," replied Bob. He always preserved an attitude of filial -respect toward his one and only parent. But he tore himself away from -dad now as soon as he could. He wanted to think. The average hero, -thrust out into the world, has only a single load to carry. He has only -to earn a living for himself. Bob's load was a double one and therefore -he would have to be a double hero. Mechanically he walked on and on, -cogitating upon his unenviable fate. Suddenly he stopped. He found -himself in front of the club. Bob went in. And there he met Dickie, -Clarence, Dan the doughty "commodore" and some others. - - * * * * * - -That Impecunious Bob should have said "It could be done" to Imperial -Dickie's "It couldn't" and have allowed himself to be drawn further into -the affair was, in itself, an impertinence. For Dickie was a person of -importance. He had a string of simoleons so long that a -newspaper-mathematician once computed if you spread them out, touching -one another, they would reach half around the world. Or was it twice -around? Anyhow, Dickie didn't have to worry about hustling, the way Bob -did now. At the moment the latter was in a mood to contradict any one. -He felt reckless. He was ready for almost anything--short of an -imitation of that back-to-nature hero of a popular novel. - -They had been going on about that "could" and "couldn't" proposition for -some time when some one staked Bob. That some one was promptly "called" -by the "commodore"--as jolly a sea-dog as never trod a deck. Dan was a -land-commodore, but he was very popular at the Yacht Club, where -something besides waves seethed when he was around. He didn't go often -to the University Club where he complained things were too pedagogic. -(No one else ever complained of that.) He liked to see the decks--or -floors--wave. Then he was in his element and would issue orders with the -blithe abandon of a son of Neptune. There was no delay in "clapping on -sail" when the commodore was at the helm. And if he said: "Clear the -decks for action," there was action. When he did occasionally drift into -the University, he brought with him the flavor of the sea. Things at -once breezed up. - -Well, the commodore called that some one quick. - -"Five thousand he can't do it." - -"For how long?" says Dickie. - -"A week," answered the commodore. - -"Make it two." - -"Oh, very well." - -"Three, if you like!" from Bob, the stormy petrel. - -They gazed at him admiringly. - -"It isn't the green garden talking, is it, Bob?" asked Clarence Van -Duzen whose sole occupation was being a director in a few -corporations--or, more strictly speaking, _not_ being one. It took -almost all Clarence's time to "direct" his wife, or try to. - -Bob looked at Clarence reproachfully. "No," he said. "I'm still master -of all my thoughts." Gloomily. "I couldn't forget if I tried." - -"That's all right, then," said Dickie. - -Then Clarence "took" some one else who staked Bob. And Dickie did -likewise. And there was some more talk. And then Bob staked himself. - -"Little short of cash at the bank just now," he observed. "But if you'll -take my note--" - -"Take your word if you want," said the commodore. - -"No; here's my note." He gave it--a large amount--payable in thirty -days. It was awful, but he did it. He hardly thought what he was doing. -Having the utmost confidence he would win, he didn't stop to realize -what a large contract he was taking on. But Dan, Dickie, Clarence and -the others did. - -"Of course, you can't go away and hide," said Dickie to Bob with sudden -suspicion. - -"No; you can't do that," from Clarence. "Or get yourself arrested and -locked up for three weeks! That wouldn't be fair, old chap." - -"Bob understands he's got to go on in the even tenor of his way," said -the commodore. - -Bob nodded. "Just as if nothing had happened!" he observed. "I'll not -seek, or I'll not shirk. I'm on honor, you understand." - -"That's good enough for me!" said Dickie. "Bob's honest." - -"And me!" from Clarence. - -"And me!" from half a dozen other good souls, including the non-aqueous -commodore. - -"Gentlemen, I thank you," said Bob, affected by this outburst of -confidence. "I thank you for this display of--this display--" - -"Cut it!" - -"Cork it up! And speaking of corks--" - -"When does it begin?" interrupted Bob. - -"When you walk out of here," - -"At the front door?" - -"When your foot touches the sidewalk, son." The commodore who was about -forty in years sometimes assumed the paternal. - -"Never mind the 'son.'" Bob shuddered. "One father at a time, please!" -And then hastily, not to seem ungracious: "I've got such a jolly good, -real dad, you understand--" - -The commodore dropped the paternal. "Well, lads, here's a bumper to -Bob," he said. - -"We see his finish." - -"No doubt of that." - -"To Bob! Good old Bob! Ho! ho!" - -"Ha! ha!" said Bob funereally. - -Then he got up. - -"Going?" - -"Might as well." - -The commodore drew out a watch. - -"Twelve minutes after three p.m. Monday, the twelfth of September, in -the year of our Lord, 1813," he said. "You are all witnesses of the time -the ball was opened?" - -"We are." - -"Good-by, Bob." - -"Oh, let's go with him a way!" - -"_Might_ be interesting," from Clarence sardonically. - -"It might. Least we can do is to see him start on his way rejoicing." - -"That's so. Come on." Which they did. - -Bob offered no objection. He didn't much care at the time whether they -did or not. What would happen would. He braced himself for the -inevitable. - - - - - CHAPTER II--A TRY-OUT - - -To tell the truth--to blurt out nothing but the truth to every one, and -on every occasion, for three whole weeks--that's what Bob had contracted -to do. From the point of view of the commodore and the others, the man -who tried to fill this contract would certainly be shot, or -electrocuted, or ridden out of town on a rail, or receive a coat of tar -and feathers. And Bob had such a wide circle of friends, too, which -would make his task the harder; the handsome dog was popular. He was -asked everywhere that was anywhere and he went, too. He would certainly -"get his." The jovial commodore was delighted. He would have a whole lot -of fun at Bob's expense. Wasn't the latter the big boob, though? And -wouldn't he be put through his paces? Really it promised to be -delicious. The commodore and the others went along with Bob just for a -little try-out. - -At first nothing especially interesting happened. They walked without -meeting any one they were acquainted with. Transients! transients! where -did they all come from? Once on their progress down the avenue the hopes -of Bob's friends rose high. A car they knew got held up on a side street -not far away from them. It was a gorgeous car and it had a gorgeous -occupant, but a grocery wagon was between them and it. The commodore -warbled blithely. - -"Come on, Bob. Time for a word or two!" - -But handsome Bob shook his head. "The 'even tenor of his way,'" he -quoted. "I don't ordinarily go popping in and out between wheels like a -rabbit. I'm not looking to commit suicide." - -"Oh, I only wanted to say: 'How do you do,'" retorted the commodore -rather sulkily. "Or 'May I tango with you at tea this afternoon, Mrs. -Ralston?'" - -"Or observe: 'How young she looks to-day, eh, Bob?'" murmured that young -gentleman suspiciously. - -"Artful! Artful!" Clarence poked the commodore in the ribs. "Sly old -sea-dog!" - -"Well, let's move on," yawned Dickie. "Nothing doing here." - -"Wait!" The commodore had an idea. "Hi, you young grocery lad, back up a -little, will you?" - -"Wha' for?" said the boy, aggressive at once. Babes are born in New York -with chips on their shoulders. - -"As a matter of trifling accommodation, that is all," answered the -commodore sweetly. "On the other side of you is a stately car and we -would hold conversation with--" - -"Aw, gwan! Guess I got as much right to the street as it has." And as a -display of his "rights," he even touched up his horse a few inches, to -intervene more thoroughly. - -"Perhaps now for half a dollar--" began the commodore, more -insinuatingly. Then he groaned: "Too late!" The policeman had lifted the -ban. The stately car turned into the avenue and was swallowed up amid a -myriad of more or less imposing vehicles. They had, however, received a -bow from the occupant. That was all there had been opportunity for. -Incidentally, the small boy had bestowed upon them his parting -compliments: - -"Smart old guy! You think youse--" The rest was jumbled up or lost in -the usual cacophony of the thoroughfare. - -"Too bad!" murmured the commodore. "But still these three weeks are -young." - -"'Three weeks!'" observed Dickie. "Sounds like plagiarism!" - -"Oh, Bob won't have that kind of a 'three weeks,'" snickered Clarence. - -"Bob's will be an expurgated edition," from the commodore, recovering -his spirits. - -"Maybe we ought to make it four?" - -"Three will do," said Bob, who wasn't enjoying this chaffing. Every one -they approached he now eyed apprehensively. - -But he was a joy-giver, if not receiver, for his tall handsome figure -attracted many admiring glances. His striking head with its blond -curls--they weren't exactly curls, only his hair wasn't straight, but -clung rather wavy-like to the bold contour of his head--his careless -stride, and that general effect of young masculinity--all this caused -sundry humble feminine hearts to go pit-a-pat. Bob's progress, however, -was generally followed by pit-a-pats from shop-girls and bonnet-bearers. -Especially at the noon hour! Then Bob seemed to these humble toilers, -like dessert, after hard-boiled eggs, stale sandwiches and pickles. - -But Bob was quite unaware of any approving glances cast after him. He -was thinking, and thinking hard. He wasn't so sanguine now as he had -been when he had left the club. What might have happened at that street -corner appealed to him with sudden poignant force. Mrs. Ralston was of -the _creme de la creme_. She was determined to stay young. She pretended -to be thirty years or so younger than she was. In fact, she was rather a -ridiculous old lady who found it hard to conceal her age. Now what if -the commodore had found opportunity to ask that awful question? Bob -could have made only one reply and told the truth. The largeness of his -contract was becoming more apparent to him. He began to see himself now -from Dan's standpoint. Incidentally, he was beginning to develop a great -dislike for that genial land-mariner. - -"How about the Waldorf?" They had paused at the corner of Thirty-fourth -Street. "May find some one there," suggested Clarence. - -"In Peek-a-Boo Alley?" scornfully from Dickie. - -"Oh, I heard there was a concert, or something upstairs," said Clarence. -"In that you've-got-to-be-introduced room! And some of the real people -have to walk through to get to it." - -Accordingly they entered the Waldorf and the commodore hustled them up -and down and around, without, however, their encountering a single -"real" person. There were only people present--loads of them, not from -somewhere but from everywhere. They did the circuit several times, still -without catching sight of a real person. - -"Whew! This _is_ a lonesome place!" breathed the commodore at last. - -"Let's depart!" disgustedly from Clarence. "Apologize for steering you -into these barren wastes!" - -"What's your hurry?" said Bob, with a little more bravado. Then suddenly -he forgot about those other three. His entranced gaze became focused on -one. He saw only her. - -"Ha!" The commodore's quick glance, following Bob's, caught sight, too, -of that wonderful face in the distance--the stunning, glowing young -figure--that regal dream of just-budded girlhood--that superb vision in -a lovely afternoon gown! She was followed by one or two others. One -could only imagine her leading. There would, of course, always be -several at her either side and quite a number dangling behind. Her lips -were like the red rosebuds that swung negligently from her hand as she -floated through the crowd. Her eyes suggested veiled dreams amid the -confusion and hubbub of a topsyturvy world. She was like something -rhythmical precipitated amid chaos. A far-away impression of a smile -played around the corners of her proud lips. - -The commodore precipitated himself in her direction. Bob put out a hand -as if to grasp him by the coat tails, but the other was already beyond -reach and Bob's hand fell to his side. He stood passive. That was his -part. Only he wasn't passive inwardly. His heart was beating wildly. He -could imagine himself with her and them--those others in her train--and -the conversation that would ensue, for he had no doubt of the -commodore's intentions. Dan was an adept at rounding up people. Bob -could see himself at a table participating in the conversation--prepared -conversation, some of it! He could imagine the commodore leading little -rivulets of talk into certain channels for his benefit. Dan would see to -it that they would ask him (Bob) questions, embarrassing ones. That -"advice" dad had given him weighed on Bob like a nightmare. -Suppose--ghastly thought!--truth compelled him ever to speak of that? -And to her! A shiver ran down Bob's backbone. Nearer she -drew--nearer--while Bob gazed as if fascinated, full of rapturous, -paradoxical dread. Now the commodore was almost upon her when-- - -Ah, what was that? An open elevator?--people going in?--She, too,--those -with her--Yes--click! a closed door! The radiant vision had vanished, -was going upward; Bob breathed again. Think of being even paradoxically -glad at witnessing _her_ disappear! Bob ceased now to think; stood as in -a trance. - -"Why _do_ people go to concerts?" said the commodore in aggrieved tones. -"Some queen, that!" - -"And got the rocks--or stocks!" from Dickie. "Owns about three of those -railroads that are going a-begging nowadays." - -"Wake up, Bobbie!" some one now addressed that abstracted individual. - -Bob shook himself. - -"Old friend of yours, Miss Gwendoline Gerald, I believe?" said the -commodore significantly. - -"Yes; I've known Miss Gerald for some time," said Bob coldly. - -"'Known for some time'--" mimicked the commodore. "Phlegmatic dog! Well, -what shall we do now?" - -"Hang around until the concert's over?" suggested Dickie. - -"Hang around nothing!" said the commodore. "It's one of those classical -high-jinks." Disgustedly. "Lasts so late the sufferers haven't time for -anything after it's over. Just enough energy left to stagger to their -cars and fall over in a comatose condition." - -"Suppose we _could_ go to the bar?" - -"Naughty! Naughty!" A sprightly voice interrupted. - -The commodore wheeled. "Mrs. Ralston!" he exclaimed gladly. - -It was the gorgeous lady of the gorgeous car. - -"Just finished my shopping and thought I'd have a look in here," she -said vivaciously. - -"Concert, I suppose?" from the commodore, jubilantly. - -"Yes. Dubussy. Don't you adore Dubussy?" with schoolgirlish enthusiasm. -Though almost sixty, she had the manners of a "just-come-out." - -"Nothing like it," lied the commodore. - -"Ah, then you, too, are a modern?" gushed the lady. - -"I'm so advanced," said the commodore, "I can't keep up with myself." - -They laughed. "Ah, silly man!" said the lady's eyes. Bob gazed at her -and the commodore enviously. Oh, to be able once more to prevaricate -like that! The commodore had never heard Dubussy in his life. Ragtime -and merry hornpipes were his limits. And Mrs. Ralston was going to the -concert, it is true, but to hear the music? Ah, no! Her box was a -fashionable rendezvous, and from it she could study modernity in hats. -Therein, at least, she was a modern of the moderns. She was so advanced, -the styles had fairly to trot, or turkey-trot, to keep up with her. - -"Well," she said, with that approving glance women usually bestowed upon -Bob, "I suppose I mustn't detain you busy people after that remark I -overheard." - -"Oh, don't hurry," said the commodore hastily. "Between old friends-- -But I say-- By jove, you _are_ looking well. Never saw you looking so -young and charming. Never!" It was rather crudely done, but the -commodore could say things more bluntly than other people and "get away -with them." He was rather a privileged character. Bob began to breathe -hard, having a foretaste of what was to follow. And Mrs. "Willie" -Ralston was Miss Gwendoline Gerald's aunt! No doubt that young lady was -up in her aunt's box at this moment. - -"Never!" repeated the commodore. "Eh, Bob? Doesn't look a day over -thirty," with a jovial, freehearted sailor laugh. "Does she now?" - -It had come. That first test! And the question had to be answered. The -lady was looking at Bob. They were all waiting. A fraction of a second, -or so, which seemed like a geological epoch, Bob hesitated. He had to -reply and yet being a gentleman, how could he? No matter what it cost -him, he would simply have to "lie like a gentleman." He-- - -Suddenly an idea shot through his befuddled brain. Maybe Mrs. Ralston -wouldn't know what he said, if he--? She had been numerous times to -France, of course, but she was not mentally a heavy-weight. Languages -might not be her forte. Presumably she had all she could do to chatter -in English. Bob didn't know much French himself. He would take a chance -on her, however. He made a bow which was Chesterfieldian and -incidentally made answer, rattling it off with the swiftness of a -boulevardier. - -"_Il me faut dire que, vraiment, Madame Ralston parait aussi agee -qu'elle l'est!_" ("I am obliged to say that Mrs. Ralston appears as old -as she is!") - -Then he straightened as if he had just delivered a stunning compliment. - -"_Merci!_" The lady smiled. She also beamed. "How well you speak French, -Mr. Bennett!" - -The commodore nearly exploded. _He_ understood French. - -Bob expanded, beginning to breathe freely once more. "Language of -courtiers and diplomats!" he mumbled. - -Mrs. Ralston shook an admonishing finger at him. "Flatterer!" she said, -and departed. - -Whereupon the commodore leaned weakly against Dickie while Clarence sank -into a chair. First round for Bob! - - * * * * * - -The commodore was the first to recover. His voice was reproachful. "Was -_that_ quite fair?--that parleyvoo business? I don't know about it's -being allowed." - -"Why not?" calmly from Bob. "Is truth confined to one tongue?" - -"But what about that 'even tenor of your way'?" fenced the commodore. -"You don't, as a usual thing, go around parleyvooing--" - -"What about the even tenor of your own ways?" retorted Bob. - -"Nothing said about _that_ when we--" - -"No, but--how can _I_ go the even tenor, if _you_ don't go yours?" - -"Hum?" said the commodore. - -"Don't you see it's not the even tenor?" persisted Bob. "But it's your -fault if it isn't." - -"Some logic in that," observed Clarence. - -"Maybe, we _have_ been a bit too previous," conceded the commodore. - -"That isn't precisely the adjective I would use," returned Bob. He found -himself thinking more clearly now. They had all, perhaps, been stepping -rather lightly when they had left the club. He should have thought of -this before. But Bob's brain moved rather slowly sometimes and the -others had been too bent on having a good time to consider all the -ethics of the case. They showed themselves fair-minded enough now, -however. - -"Bob's right," said the commodore sorrowfully. "Suppose we've got to -eliminate ourselves from his agreeable company for the next three weeks, -unless we just naturally happen to meet. We'll miss a lot of fun, but I -guess it's just got to be. What about that parleyvooing business though, -Bob?" - -"That's got to be eliminated, too!" from Dickie. "Why, he might tell the -truth in Chinese." - -"All right, fellows," said Bob shortly. "You quit tagging and I'll talk -United States." - -"Good. I'm off," said the commodore. And he went. The others followed. -Bob was left alone. He found the solitude blessed and began to have -hopes once more. Why, he might even be permitted to enjoy a real lonely -three weeks, now that he had got rid of that trio. He drew out a cigar -and began to tell himself he _was_ enjoying himself when-- - -"Mr. Robert Bennett!" The voice of a page smote the air. It broke into -his reflections like a shock. - -"Mr. Bennett!" again bawled the voice. - -For the moment Bob was tempted to let him slip by, but conscience -wouldn't let him. He lifted a finger. - -"Message for Mr. Bennett," said the urchin. - -Bob took it. He experienced forebodings as he saw the dainty card and -inscription. He read it. Then he groaned. Would Mr. Robert Bennett join -Mrs. Ralston's house-party at Tonkton? There were a few more words in -that impulsive lady's characteristic, vivacious style. And then there -were two words in another handwriting that he knew. "Will you?" That -"Will you?" wasn't signed. Bob stared at it. Would he? He had to. He was -in honor bound, because ordinarily he would have accepted with alacrity. -But a house-party for him, under present circumstances! He would be a -merry guest. Ye gods and little fishes! And then some! He gave a hollow -laugh, while the urchin gazed at him sympathetically. Evidently the -gentleman had received bad news. - - - - - CHAPTER III--AN INAUSPICIOUS BEGINNING - - -Mrs. Ralston's house-parties were usually satisfactory affairs. She was -fond of people, especially young people, and more especially of young -men of the Apollo variety, though in a strictly proper, platonic and -critical sense. Indeed, her taste in the abstract, for animated -Praxiteles had, for well-nigh two-score of years, been unimpeachable. At -the big gatherings in her noble country mansion, there was always a -liberal sprinkling of decorative and animated objects of art of this -description. She liked to ornament her porches or her gardens with husky -and handsome young college athletes. She had an intuitive artistic taste -for stunning living-statuary, "dressed up," of course. Bob came -distinctly in that category. So behold him then, one fine morning, on -the little sawed-off train that whisked common people--and sometimes a -few notables when their cars were otherwise engaged--countryward. Bob -had a big grip by his side, his golf sticks were in a rack and he had a -newspaper in his hand. The sunshine came in on him but his mood was not -sunny. An interview with dad just before leaving hadn't improved his -spirits. He had found dad at the breakfast table examining a book of -artificial flies, on one hand, and a big reel on the other. - -"Which shall it be, my son?" dad had greeted him cordially. "Trout or -tarpon?" - -"I guess that's for you to decide," Robert had answered grumpily. Dad, -in his new role, was beginning to get on Bob's nerves. Dad didn't seem -to be at all concerned about his future. He shifted that weighty and -momentous subject just as lightly! He acted as if he hadn't a care in -the world. - -"Wish I _could_ make up my mind," he said, like a boy in some doubt how -he can best put in his time when he plays hooky. "Minnows or whales? -I'll toss up." He did. "Whales win. By the way, how's the hustling -coming on?" - -"Don't know." - -"Well, don't put it off too long." Cheerfully. "I guess I can worry -along for about three weeks." - -"Three weeks!" said Bob gloomily. Oh, that familiar sound! - -"You wouldn't have me stint myself, would you, my son?" Half -reproachfully. "You wouldn't have dad deny himself anything?" - -"No," answered the other truthfully enough. As a matter of fact things -couldn't be much worse, so he didn't much care. Fortunately, dad didn't -ask any questions or show any curiosity about that "hustling" business. -He seemed to take it for granted Bob would arise to the occasion and be -as indulgent a son as he had been an indulgent dad--for he had never -denied the boy anything. Bob softened when he thought of that. But -confound dad's childlike faith in him, at this period of emergency. It -made Bob nervous. He had no faith in himself that way. Dad _did_ lift -his eyebrows just a little when Bob brought down his big grip. - -"Week-end?" he hazarded. - -"Whole week," replied Bob in a melancholy tone. - -"Whither?" - -"Tonkton." - -Dad beamed. "Mrs. Ralston?" - -"Yes." - -"Aunt of Miss Gwendoline Gerald, I believe?" With a quick penetrating -glance at Bob. - -"Yes." - -"Sensible boy," observed dad, still studying him. - -"Oh, I'm not going for the reason you think," said Bob quite savagely. -He was most unlike himself. - -"Of course not." Dad was conciliatory. - -"I'm not. Think what you like." - -"Too much work to think," yawned dad. - -"But you _are_ thinking." Resentfully. - -"Have it your own way." - -Bob squared his shoulders. "You want to know really why I'm going to -Tonkton?" - -"Have I ever tried to force your confidences, my son?" - -"I'm going because I've got to. I can't help myself." - -"Of course," said dad. "Ta! ta! Enjoy yourself. See you in three weeks." - -"Three--!" But Bob didn't finish. What was the use? Dad thought he was -going to Tonkton because Miss Gerald might be there. - -As a matter of fact Bob's one great wish now was that she wouldn't be -there. He wanted, and yet didn't want, to see her. What had he to hope -now? Why, he didn't have a son, or not enough of them to count. He was -to all practical intents and purposes a pauper. Dad's "going broke" had -changed his whole life. He had been reared in the lap of luxury, a -pampered son. He had never dreamed of being otherwise. And considering -himself a favored child of fortune, he had even dared entertain the -delirious hope of winning her--her, the goddess of his dreams. - -But hope now was gone. Regrets were useless. He could no longer conceive -himself in the role of suitor. Why, there were few girls in the whole -land so overburdened with "rocks"--as Dickie called them! If only she -didn't have those rocks--or stocks! "Impecunious Gwendoline!" How well -that would go with "Impecunious Bob!" If only her trustees would hit the -toboggan, the way dad did! But trustees don't go tobogganing. They -eschew the smooth and slippery. They speculate in government bonds and -things that fluctuate about a point or so a century. No chance for quick -action there! On the contrary, the trustees were probably making those -millions grow. Bob heaved a sigh. Then he took something white from his -pocket and gazed at two words, ardently yet dubiously. - -That "Will you?" of hers on Mrs. Ralston's card exhilarated and at the -same time depressed him. It implied she, herself, did expect to be at -her aunt's country place. He attached no other especial importance to -the "Will you?" An imperious young person in her exalted position could -command as she pleased. She could say "Will you?" or "You will" to -dozens of more or less callow youths, or young grown-ups, with impunity, -and none of said dozens would attach any undue flattering meaning to her -words. Miss Gerald found safety in numbers. She was as yet heart-free. - -"Can you--aw!--tell me how far it is to Tonkton?" a voice behind here -interrupted his ruminations. - -Bob hastily returned the card to his pocket, and glancing back, saw a -monocle. "Matter of ten miles or so," he responded curtly. He didn't -like monocles. - -"Aw!" said the man. - -Bob picked up his newspaper that he had laid down, and frowningly began -to glance over the head-lines. The man behind him glanced over them, -too. - -"Another society robbery, I see," the latter remarked. "No function -complete without them nowadays, I understand. Wonderful country, -America! Guests here always expect--aw!--to be robbed, I've been told." - -"Have the paper," said Bob with cutting accents. - -"Thanks awfully." The man with the monocle took the paper as a matter of -course, seeming totally unaware of the sarcasm in Bob's tone. At first, -Bob felt like kicking himself; the rustle of the paper in those alien -hands caused him to shuffle his feet with mild irritation. Then he -forgot all about the paper and the monocle man. His thoughts began once -more to go over and over the same old ground, until-- - -"T'nk'n!" The stentorian abbreviation of the conductor made Bob get up -with a start. Grabbing his grip--hardly any weight at all for his -muscular arm--in one hand, and his implements of the game in the other, -he swung down the aisle and on to the platform. A good many people got -off, for a small town nestled beneath the high rolling lands of the -country estates of the affluent. There were vehicles of all kinds at the -station, among them a number of cars, and in one of the latter Bob -recognized Mrs. Ralston's chauffeur. - -A moment he hesitated. He supposed he ought to step forward and get in, -for that was what he naturally would do. But he wanted to think; he -didn't want to get to the house in a hurry. Still he had to do what he -naturally would do and he started to do it when some other people Bob -didn't know--prospective guests, presumably, among them the man with the -monocle--got into the car and fairly filled it. That let Bob out nicely -and naturally. It gave him another breathing spell. He had got so he was -looking forward to these little breathing spells. - -"Hack, sir?" said a voice. - -"Not for me," replied Bob. "But you can tote this up the hill," -indicating the grip. "Ralston house." - -"Dollar and a half, sir," said the man. "Same price if you go along, -too." - -"What?" It just occurred to Bob he hadn't many dollars left, and of -course, tips would be expected up there, at the big house. It behooved -him, therefore, to be frugal. But to argue about a dollar and a -half!--he, a guest at the several million dollar house! On the other -hand, that dollar looked large to Bob at this moment. Imagine if he had -to earn a dollar and a half! He couldn't at the moment tell how he would -do it. - -"Hold on." Bob took the grip away from the man. "Why, it's outrageous, -such a tariff! Same price, with or without me, indeed! I tell you--" -Suddenly he stopped. He had an awful realization that he was acting a -part. That forced indignation of his was not the truth; that aloof kind -of an attitude wasn't the truth, either. - -"To tell you the truth," said Bob, "I can't afford it." - -"Can't afford. Ha! ha!" That was a joke. One of Mrs. Ralston's guests, -not afford--! - -"No," said Bob. "I've only got about fifteen dollars and a half to my -name. I guess you're worth more than that yourself, aren't you?" With -sudden respect in his tone. - -"I guess I am," said the man, grinning. - -"Then, logically, I should be carrying your valise," retorted Bob. - -"Ha! ha! That's good." The fellow had been transporting the overflow of -Mrs. Ralston's guests for years, but he had never met quite such an -eccentric one as this. He chuckled now as if it were the best joke. -"I'll tell you what--I'll take it for nothing, and leave it to you what -you give me!" Maybe, for a joke, he'd get a fifty--dollars, not cents. -These young millionaire men did perpetrate little funnyisms like that. -Why, one of them had once "beat him down" a quarter on his fare and then -given him ten dollars for a tip. "Ha! ha!" repeated the fellow, -surveying Bob's elegant and faultless attire, "I'll do it for nothing, -and you--" - -Bob walked away carrying his grip. Here he was telling the truth and he -wasn't believed. The man took him for one of those irresponsible merry -fellows. That was odd. Was it auspicious? Should he derive encouragement -therefrom? Maybe the others would only say "Ha! ha!" when he told the -truth. But though he tried to feel the fellow's attitude was a good -omen, he didn't succeed very well. - -No use trying to deceive _himself_! Might as well get accustomed to that -truth-telling habit even in his own thoughts! That diabolical trio of -friends had seen plainer than he. _They_ had realized the dazzling -difficulties of the task confronting him. How they were laughing in -their sleeves now at "darn fool Bob!" Bob, a young Don Quixote, sallying -forth to attempt the impossible! The preposterous part of the whole -business was that his role _was_ preposterous. Why, he really and truly, -in his transformed condition, ought to be just like every one else. That -he was a unique exception--a figure alone in his glory, or ingloriously -alone--was a fine commentary on this old world, anyhow. - -What an old humbug of a world it was, he thought, when, passing before -the one and only book-store the little village boasted of, he ran plump -into, or almost into, Miss Gwendoline Gerald. - -She, at that moment, had just emerged from the shop with a supply of -popular magazines in her arms. A gracious expression immediately -softened the young lady's lovely patrician features and she extended a -hand. As in a dream Bob looked at it, for the fraction of a second. It -was a beautiful, shapely and capable hand. It was also sunburned. It -looked like the hand of a young woman who would grasp what she wanted -and wave aside peremptorily what she didn't want. It was a strong hand, -but it was also an adorable hand. It went with the proud but lovely -face. It supplemented the steady, direct violet eyes. The pink nails -gleamed like sea-shells. Bob set down the grip and took the hand. His -heart was going fast. - -"Glad to see you," said Miss Gwendoline. - -Bob remained silent. He was glad and he wasn't glad. That is to say, he -was deliriously glad and he knew he ought not to be. He found it -difficult to conceal the effect she had upon him. He dreaded, too, the -outcome of that meeting. So, how should he answer and yet tell the -truth? It was considerable of a "poser," he concluded, as he strove to -collect his perturbed thoughts. - -"Well, why don't you say something?" she asked. - -"Lovely clay," observed Bob. - -The violet eyes drilled into him slightly. Shades of Hebe! but she had a -fine figure! She looked great next to Bob. Maybe she knew it. Perhaps -that was why she was just a shade more friendly and gracious to him than -to some of the others. They two appeared so well together. He certainly -did set her off. - -"Is that all you have to say?" asked Miss Gwendoline after a moment. - -"Let me put those magazines in the trap for you?" said Bob, making a -desperate recovery and indicating the smart rig at the curb as he spoke. - -"Thanks," she answered. "Make yourself useful." And gave them to him. -But there was now a slight reserve on her part. His manner had slightly -puzzled her. There was a constraint, or hold-offishness about him that -seemed to her rather a new symptom in him. What did it mean? Had he -misinterpreted her "Will you?" The violet eyes flashed slightly, then -she laughed. How ridiculous! - -"There! You did it very well," she commended him mockingly. - -"Thanks," said Bob awkwardly, and shifted. It would be better if she let -him go. Those awful things he might say?--that she might make him say? -But she showed no disposition to permit him to depart at once. She -lingered. People didn't usually seek to terminate talks with her. As a -rule they just stuck and stuck around and it was hard to get rid of -them. Did she divine his uneasiness? Bob showed he certainly wasn't -enjoying himself. The violet eyes grew more and more puzzled. - -"What a brilliant conversationalist you are to-day, Mr. Bennett!" she -remarked with a trace of irony in her tones. - -"Yes; I don't feel very strong on the talk to-day," answered Bob -truthfully. - -Miss Gwendoline pondered a moment on this. She had seen young men -embarrassed before--especially when she was alone with them. Sometimes -her decidedly pronounced beauty had a disquieting effect on certain -sensitive young souls. Bob's manner recalled the manner of one or two of -those others just before they indulged, or tried to indulge, in unusual -sentiments, or too close personalities. Miss Gerald's long sweeping -lashes lowered ominously. Then they slowly lifted. She didn't feel -to-day any inordinate endeavor or desire on Bob's part to break down the -nice barriers of convention and to establish that more intimate and -magnetic atmosphere of a new relationship. Well, that was the way it -should be. It must be he was only stupid at the moment. That's why he -acted strange and unlike himself. - -Perhaps he had been up late the night before. Maybe he had a headache. -His handsome face was certainly very sober. There was a silent appeal to -her in that blond head, a little over half-a-head above hers. Miss -Gwendoline's red lips softened. What a great, big, nice-looking boy he -was, after all! She let the lights of her eyes play on him more kindly. -She had always thought Bob a good sort. He was an excellent partner in -tennis and when it came to horses--they had certainly had some great -spurts together. She had tried to follow Bob but it had sometimes been -hard. His "jumps" were famous. What he couldn't put a horse over, no one -else could. For the sake of these and a few kindred recollections, she -softened. - -"I suppose men sometimes do feel that way the next day," she observed -with tentative sympathy. One just had to forgive Bob. She knew a lot of -cleverer men who weren't half so interesting on certain occasions. -Intellectual conversation isn't everything. Even that soul-to-soul talk -of the higher faddists sometimes palled. "I suppose that's why you're -walking." - -"Why?" he repeated, puzzled. - -"To dissipate that 'tired feeling,' I believe you call it?" - -"But I'm not tired," said Bob. - -"Headachey, then?" - -"No." He wasn't quite following the subtleties of her remarks. - -"Then why _are_ you walking?" she persisted. "And with that?" Touching -his grip with the tip of her toe. - -"Save hack fare," answered Bob. - -She smiled. - -"Man wanted a dollar and a half," he went on. - -"And you objected?" Lightly. - -"I did." - -Again she smiled. Bob saw she, too, thought it was a joke. And he -remembered how she knew of one or two occasions when he had just thrown -money to the winds--shoved it out of the window, as it were--orchids, by -the dozens, tips, two or three times too large, etc. Bob, with those -reckless eyes, object to a dollar and a half--or a hundred and fifty, -for that matter? Not he! If ever there had been a spendthrift!-- - -"Well, I'll lend a hand to a poor, poverty-stricken wretch," said Miss -Gerald, indulgently entering into the humor of the situation. - -"What do you mean?" With new misgivings. - -"Put them"--indicating the grip and the sticks--"in the trap," she -commanded. - -Bob did. He couldn't do anything else. And then he assisted her in. - -"Thanks for timely help!" he said more blithely, as he saw her slip on -her gloves and begin to gather up the reins with those firm capable -fingers. "And now--?" He started as if to go. - -"Oh, you can get in, too." Why shouldn't he? There was room for two. She -spoke in a matter-of-fact manner. - -"I--?" Bob hesitated. A long, long drive--unbounded opportunity for -chats, confidences!--and all at the beginning of his sojourn here? Dad's -words--that horrid advice--burned on his brain like fire. He tried to -think of some excuse for not getting in. He might say he had to stop at -a drug store, or call up a man in New York on business by telephone, -or-- But no! he couldn't say any of those things. He was denied the -blissful privilege of other men. - -"Well, why don't you get in?" Miss Gerald spoke more sharply. "Don't you -want to?" - -The words came like a thunder-clap, though Miss Gwendoline's voice was -honey sweet. Bob raised a tragic head. That monster, Truth! - -"No," he said. - -An instant Miss Gwendoline looked at him, the violet eyes incredulous, -amused. Then a slight line appeared on her beautiful forehead and her -red lips parted a little as if she were going to say something, but -didn't. Instead, they closed tight, the way rosebuds shut when the night -is unusually frosty. Her eyes became hard like diamonds. - -"How charmingly frank!" she said. Then she drew up the reins and trailed -the tip of the whip caressingly along the back of her spirited cob. It -sprang forward. "Look out for the sun, Mr. Bennett," she called back as -they dashed away. "It's rather hot to-day." - -Bob stood and stared after her. What did she mean about the sun? Did she -think he had a touch of sunstroke, or brain-fever? It was an -inauspicious beginning, indeed. If he had only known what next was -coming! - - - - - CHAPTER IV--A CHAT ON THE LINKS - - -At the top of the hill, instead of following the winding road, Bob -started leisurely across the rolling green toward the big house whose -roof could be discerned in the distance above the trees. The day was -charming, but he was distinctly out of tune. There was a frown on his -brow. Fate had gone too far. He half-clenched his fists, for he was in a -fighting mood and wanted to retaliate--but how? At the edge of some -bushes he came upon a lady--no less a personage than the better-half of -the commodore, himself. - -She was fair, fat and forty, or a little more. She was fooling with a -white ball, or rather it was fooling with her, for she didn't seem to -like the place where it lay. She surveyed it from this side and then -from that. To the casual observer it looked just the same from whichever -point you viewed it. Once or twice the lady, evidently no expert, raised -her arm and then lowered it. But apparently, at last, she made up her -mind. She was just about to hit the little ball, though whether to top -or slice it will never be known, when Bob stepped up from behind the -bushes. - -"Oh, Mr. Bennett!" He had obviously startled her. - -"The same," said Bob gloomily. - -"That's too bad of you," she chided him, stepping back. - -"What?" - -"Why, I'd just got it all figured out in my mind how to do it." - -"Sorry," said Bob. "I didn't know you were behind the bushes or I -wouldn't have come out on you like that. But maybe you'll do even better -than you were going to. Hope so! Go ahead with your drive. Don't mind -me." His tone was depressed, if not sepulchral. - -But the lady, being at that sociable age, showed now a perverse -disposition not to "go ahead." - -"Just get here?" she asked. - -"Yes. Anything doing?" - -"Not much. It's been, in fact, rather slow. Mrs. Ralston says so -herself. So I am at liberty to make the same remark. Of course we've -done the usual things, but somehow there seems to be something lacking," -rattled on the lady. "Maybe we need a few more convivial souls to stir -things up. Perhaps we're waiting for some one, real good and lively, to -appear upon the scene. Does the description chance to fit you, Mr. -Bennett?" Archly. - -"I think not," said gloomy Bob. - -"Well, that isn't what Mrs. Ralston says about you, anyway," observed -the commodore's spouse. - -"What does she say?" - -"'When Bob Bennett's around, things begin to hum.' So you see you have a -reputation to live up to." - -"I dare say. No doubt I'll live up to it, all right." - -"It's really up to you to stir things up." - -"I've begun." Ominously. - -"Have you? How lovely!" - -This didn't require an answer, for it wasn't really a question. A white -ball went by them, a very pretty snoop, and pretty soon another lady and -a caddy loomed on their range of vision. The lady was thin and -spirituelle and she walked by with a stride. You would have said she had -taken lessons of a man. She looked neither to the right nor the left. At -the moment, she, at any rate, was not sociably inclined. That walk meant -business. She wasn't one of those fussy beginners like the lady Bob was -talking with. - -"Isn't that Mrs. Clarence Van Duzen?" asked Bob. - -"Yes. She, too, poor dear, has had to desert hubby. Exactions of -business! Clarence simply couldn't get away. You see he's director of so -many things. And poor, dear old Dan! So busy! Every day at the office! -So pressed with business." - -"Quite so," said Bob absently. "I mean--" He stopped. He knew Dan wasn't -pressed for business and Bob couldn't utter even the suspicion of an -untruth now. "Didn't exactly mean that!" he mumbled. - -The lady regarded him quickly. His manner was just in the least strange. -But in a moment she thought no more about it. - -"You didn't happen to see Dan?" she asked. - -"Yes." - -"At his office, I suppose?" Dan had written he hadn't even had time for -his club; that it had been just work--work all the time. - -"No." - -"Where, then?" - -"At the club and some other places." Reluctantly. - -"Other places?" Lightly. Of course she hadn't really believed quite all -Dan had written about that office confinement. "How dreadfully -ambiguous!" With a laugh. "What other places?" - -Bob began to get uneasy. "Well, we went to a cabaret or two." No -especial harm about that answer. - -"Of course," said the lady. "Why not?" - -Bob felt relieved. He didn't want to make trouble. He was too miserable -himself. He trusted that would end the talk and now regarded the -neglected ball suggestively. - -"And then you went to still some other places?" went on the lady in that -same light, unoffended tone. - -"Ye-es," Bob had to admit. - -"One of those roof gardens, perhaps, where they have entertainments?" -she suggested brightly. - -Bob acknowledged they had gone to a roof garden. And again, and more -suggestively, he eyed the little white ball. But Mrs. Dan seemed to have -forgotten all about it. - -"Roof gardens," she said. "I adore roof gardens. They _are_ such a boon -to the people. I told dear Dan to be sure not to miss them. So nice to -think of him enjoying himself instead of moping away in a stuffy old -office." - -Bob gazed at her suspiciously. But she had such an open face! One of -those faces one can't help trusting. Mrs. Dan was just the homely, plain -old-fashioned type. At least, so she seemed. Anyhow, it didn't much -matter so far as Bob was concerned. He had to tell the truth. He hadn't -sought this conversation. It was forced on him. He was only going the -"even tenor of his way." He was, however, rather pleased that Mrs. Dan -did seem in some respects different from others of her sex. Bob didn't, -of course, really know much about the sex. - -"So you went to the roof garden--just you and Dan," purred Mrs. Dan. - -Bob didn't answer. He hoped she hadn't really put that as a question. - -"Or _were_ you and Dan alone?" She made it a question now. - -"No-a." - -"Who else were along?" - -"Dickie--" - -"And--?" - -"Clarence." - -She gazed toward Mrs. Clarence, while a shade of anxiety appeared on -Bob's face. In the distance Mrs. Clarence had paused to contemplate the -result of an unusually satisfactory display of skill. Mrs. Dan next -glanced sidewise at her caddy, but that young man seemed to have -relapsed into a condition of innocuous vacancy. He looked capable of -falling asleep standing. Certainly he wasn't trying to overhear. - -"Just you four men!" Mrs. Dan resumed her purring. "Or were you all -alone? No ladies along?" - -While expecting, of course, the negative direct, she was studying Bob -and gleaning what she could, surreptitiously, or by inference. He had an -eloquent face which might tell her something his lips refused to reveal. -His answer almost took her breath away. - -"Ye-es." - -He was sorry, but he had to say it. No way out of it! Mrs. Dan's jaw -fell. What she might have said can only be conjectured, for at this -moment, luckily for Bob, there came an interruption. - -"Tete-a-teting, instead of teeing!" broke in a jocular voice. The -speaker wore ecclesiastical garments; his imposing calves were encased -in episcopal gaiters. Mrs. Ralston always liked to dignify her -house-parties with a religious touch, and this particular bishop was -very popular with her. Bob inwardly blessed the good man for his -opportune appearance. He was a ponderous wag. - -"Forgive interruption," he went on, just as if Mrs. Dan who was -non-amatory had been engaged in a furious flirtation. "I'll be hurrying -on." - -"Do," said Mrs. Dan, matching his tone, and concealing any inward -exasperation that she might have felt. - -"It's I who will be hurrying on," interposed Bob quickly. "You see, I'm -expected to arrive at the house," he laughed. - -"Looked as if you were having an interesting conversation," persisted -the bishop waggishly. - -"And so we were," assented Mrs. Dan. She could have stamped with -vexation, but instead, she forced a smile. The dear tiresome bishop had -to be borne. - -"Confess you find me de trop?" he went on, shaking a finger at Bob. - -"On the contrary," said Bob. - -"Has to say that," laughed the good man. He did love to poke fun (or -what he conceived "fun") at "fair, fat and forty." "I suppose you were -positively dee-lighted to be interrupted?" - -"I was," returned Bob truthfully. - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the bishop. - -Bob looked at him. The bishop thought he was joking, just as the hackman -had. Of course, no one could say such a thing as that seriously and in -the presence of the lady herself. People always didn't believe truth -when they heard it. They thought telling the truth a form of crude -humor, and a spark of hope-a very small one--shot through Bob's brain. -Perhaps they would continue to look upon him in the light of a joker. He -would be the little joker in the pack of cards and he might yet pull off -that "three weeks" without pulling down the house. Only--would Miss -Gerald look upon him as a joker? Intuition promptly told him she would -not. His thoughts reverted to that last meeting. Think of having told -her he didn't want--His offense grew more awful unto himself every -moment. He ceased to remember Mrs. Dan, and saying something, he hardly -knew what, Bob walked on. - -Miss Gwendoline Gerald was on the big veranda when he reached the house. -He would have thanked her humbly and with immense contrition for having -transferred his bag and clubs hither, but as he went by, that gracious, -stately young lady seemed not to see him. It was as if he had suddenly -become invisible. Her face didn't even change; the proud contour -expressed neither contempt nor disdain; the perfectly formed lips didn't -take a more pronounced curve or grow hard. - -Bob felt himself shrink. He was like that man in the story book who -becomes invisible at times. The fiction man, however, attained this -convenient consummation through his own volition. Bob didn't. She was -the magician and he wasn't even a joker. - -He managed to reach the front door without stumbling. A wild desire to -attract her attention by asking her if his luggage _had_ arrived safely, -he dismissed quickly. It wouldn't do at all. It might imply a fear she -had dumped it out, en route. And if she hadn't, such an inquiry would -only emphasize the fact that she had acted as expressman--or woman--and -for him! - -He would go to his room at once, he told the footman. He didn't mind a -few moments' solitude. If so much could happen before his house-party -had begun--before he even got into the house--what might he not expect -later? In one of the upper halls he encountered the man with the -monocle. - -"I say!" said this person. "What a jolly coincidence!" - -"Think so?" said Bob. He didn't find anything "jolly" about it. On -another occasion, he might have noticed that the eye behind the -"window-pane" was rather twinkling, but his perceptions were not -particularly keen at the present time. - -In the room to which he had been assigned, Bob cast off a few garments. -Then he stopped with his shirt partly off. He wondered how Miss Gerald -would look the next time he saw her? Like a frozen Hebe, perhaps! Bob -removed the shirt and cast it viciously somewhere. Then he selected -another shirt--the first that came along, for why should he exercise -care to select? It matters little what an invisible man wears. _She_ -wouldn't see the extra stripe or the bigger dot. Stripes couldn't rescue -him from insubstantiability. Colors, too, would make no difference. -Pea-green, yellow, or lavender--it was all one. Any old shirt would do. -And any old tie! - -When he had finished dressing, he didn't find any further excuse for -remaining in his room. He couldn't consult his desires as to that. He -wasn't asked there to be a hermit. He couldn't imitate Timon of Athens, -Diogenes or any other of those wise old fellows who did the glorious -solitude act. Diogenes told the truth, mostly, but he could live in a -tub. He didn't have to participate in house-parties. Whoever invented -house-parties, anyhow? They were such uncomfortable "social functions" -they must have been invented by the English. Why do people want to get -together? Bob could sympathize with Diogenes. Also, he could envy Timon -his howling wilderness! But personally he couldn't even be a Robinson -Crusoe. Would there were no other company than clawless crabs and a goat -and a parrot! He would not be afraid to tell _them_ the truth. - -He had to go down and he did. Nemesis lurked for him below. Had Bob -realized what was going to happen he would have skipped back to his -room. But, as it was, he assumed a bold front. He even said to himself, -"Cheer up; the worst is yet to come." It was. - - - - - CHAPTER V--TRIVIALITIES - - -Luncheon came and went, but nothing actually tragic happened at it. Bob -didn't make more than a dozen remarks that failed to add to his -popularity. He tried to be agreeable, because that was his nature. That -"even-tenor-of-his-way" condition made it incumbent on him--yes, made it -his sacred duty to be bright and amiable. So it was "Hence, loathed -Melancholy!" and a brave endeavor to be as jocund as the poet's lines! -Only those little unfortunate moments--airy preludes to larger -misfortunes--had to occur, and just when he would flatter himself he was -not doing so badly. - -For example, when Mrs. Augustus Ossenreich Vanderpool said: "Don't you -adore dogs, Mr. Bennett?" - -"No. I like them." It became necessary to qualify that. "That is--not -the little kind." - -The lady stiffened. Her beribboned and perfumed five-thousand-dollar -toy-dogs were the idolized darlings of her heart. The children might be -relegated to the nursery but the canines had the run of the boudoir. -They rode with her when she went out in state while the French _bonne_ -took the children for an airing. "And why are the 'little kind' excluded -from the realm of your approbation?" observed Mrs. Vanderpool coldly. - -It was quite a contract to answer that. Bob wanted to be truthful; not -to say too much or too little; only just as much as he was in honor -bound to say. "I think people make too much fuss over them," he answered -at last. That reply seemed quite adequate and he trusted the lady would -change the subject. But people had a way of not doing what he wanted -them to, lately. - -"What do you call 'too much fuss'?" pursued the lady persistently. - -Bob explained as best he could. It was rather a thankless task and he -floundered a good deal as he went about it. He wasn't going to be a bit -more disagreeable than he could help, only he couldn't help being as -disagreeable as he had to be. The fact that Miss Gwendoline Gerald's -starry eyes were on him with cold curiosity did not improve the lucidity -of his explanation. In the midst of it, she to whom he was talking, -seemed somehow to detach herself from him, gradually, not pointedly, for -he hardly knew just when or how she got away. She seemed just to float -off and to attach herself somewhere else--to the bishop or to a certain -judge Mrs. Ralston always asked to her house-parties that they might -have a judicial as well as an ecclesiastical touch--and Bob's -explanation died on the thin air. He let it die. He didn't have to speak -truth to vacancy. - -Then he tangoed, but not with Miss Gwendoline Gerald. He positively -dared not approach that young lady. He didn't tango because he wanted -to, but because some one set a big music-box going and he knew he was -expected to tango. He did it beautifully and the young lady was charmed. -She was a little dark thing, of the clinging variety, and Dickie had -gone with her some. Her father owned properties that would go well with -Dickie's--there'd been some talk of consolidation, but it had never come -off. Papa was inclined to be stand-offish. Then Dickie began to get -attentive to the little dark thing, though nothing had yet come of that -either. Bob didn't own any properties but the little dark thing didn't -mind that. At tangoing, he was a dream. Properties can't tango. - -"You do it so well," said the little dark thing breathlessly. - -"Do I?" murmured Bob, thinking of a stately young goddess, now tangoing -with another fellow. - -"Don't you adore it?" went on the little dark thing, nestling as close -as was conventional and proper. - -"I might," observed Bob. That was almost as bad as the dog question. He -trusted the matter would end there. - -She giggled happily. "Maybe you disapprove of modern dancing, Mr. -Bennett?" - -"That depends," said Bob gloomily. He meant it depended upon who was -"doing the modern" with the object of your fondest affections. If you -yourself were engaged in the arduous pastime with said object, you -would, naturally harbor no particular objections against said modern -tendencies, but if you weren't?-- - -Bob tangoed more swiftly. His thoughts were so bitter he wanted to run -away from them. The irony of gliding rhythmically and poetically in -seeming joyous abandon of movement when his heart weighed a ton! If that -heaviness of heart were communicated to his legs, they would in reality -be as heavy as those of a deep-sea diver, weighted down for a ten-fathom -plunge. - -And in thus trying to run away from his thoughts Bob whirled the little -dark thing quite madly. He couldn't dance ungracefully if he tried and -the little dark thing had a soul for rhythm. It was as if he were trying -to run away with her. He fairly took away her breath. She was a panting -little dark thing on his broad breast now, but she didn't ask him to -stop. The music-box ceased to be musical and that brought them to a -stop. The eyes of the little dark thing--her name was Dolly--sparkled, -and she gazed up at Bob with the respect one of her tender and -impressionable years has for a masculine whirlwind. - -"You quite sweep one off one's feet, Mr. Bennett," she managed to -ejaculate. - -At that moment Miss Gwendoline passed, a divine bud glowing on either -proud cheek. She caught the remark and looked at the maker of it. She -noted the sparkle in the eyes. The little dark thing was a wonder with -the men. She seemed to possess the knack--only second to Miss -Gwendoline, in that line--of converting them into "trailers." Miss -Gwendoline, though, never tried to attain this result. Men became her -trailers without any effort on her part, while the little dark thing had -to exert herself, but it was agreeable work. She made Bob a trailer now, -temporarily. Miss Gwendoline turned her head slightly, with a gleam of -surprise to watch him trail. She had noticed that Bob had danced with -irresistible and almost pagan abandon. That argued enjoyment. - -The little dark thing would "come in" ultimately for hundreds of -belching chimneys and glowing furnaces and noisy factories--quite a snug -if cacophonous legacy!--and Miss Gwendoline had only that day heard -rumors that Bob's governor had fallen down and hurt himself on the -"street." She, Miss Gwendoline, had not attached much importance to -those rumors. People were always having little mishaps in the "street," -and then bobbing up richer than ever. - -But now that rumor recurred to her more vividly in the light of Bob's -trailing performance and the mad abandon of his tangoing. Of course, all -men are gamblers, or fortune-hunters, or something equally -reprehensible, at heart! Tendency of a cynical, selfish and -money-grabbing age! Miss Gwendoline was no moralist but she had lived in -a wise set, where people keep their eyes open and weigh things for just -what they are. Naturally a young man whose governor has gone on the -rocks (though only temporarily, perhaps), might think that belching -chimneys, though somewhat splotchy on the horizon and unpicturesque to -the eye, might be acceptable, in a first-aid-to-the-injured sense. But -Bob as a plain, ordinary fortune-hunter?-- Somehow the role did not fit -him. - -Besides, a fortune-hunter would not bruskly and unceremoniously have -refused _her_ invitation to ride in the trap. And at the recollection of -that affront, Miss Gwendoline's violet eyes again gleamed, until for -sparkles they out-matched those of the little dark thing. However, she -held herself too high to be really resentful. It was impossible she -should resent anything so incomprehensible, she told herself. That would -lend dignity to the offense. Therefore she could only be mildly amused -by it. This was, no doubt, a properly lofty attitude, but was it a -genuine one? Was she not actually at heart, deeply resentful and -dreadfully offended? Pride being one of her marked characteristics, she -demanded a great deal and would not accept a little. - -The sparkles died from the hard violet eyes. A more tentative expression -replaced that other look as her glance now passed meditatively over the -dark little thing. The latter had certainly a piquant bizarre -attraction. She looked as if she could be very intense, though she was -of that clinging-vine variety of young woman. She wore one of those -tango gowns which was odd, outre and a bit daring. It went with her -personality. At the same time her innocent expression seemed a mute, -almost pathetic little appeal to you _not_ to think it too daring. - -As Miss Gerald studied the young lady, albeit without seeming to do so -and holding her own in a sprightly tango kind of talk, another thought -flashed into her mind. Bob might be genuinely and sentimentally smitten. -Why not? Men frequently fell in love with the little dark thing, and -afterward some of them said she had a "good deal of temperament." Bob -might be on a temperament-investigating quest. At any rate, it was all -one to Miss Gerald. Life was a comedy. _N'est-ce-pas?_ What was it -Balzac called it? _La Comedie Humaine._ - -Meanwhile, other eyes than Miss Gerald's were bent upon luckless Bob. -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence looked as if they would like to have a word -with him. Mrs. Dan even maneuvered in his direction at the conclusion of -the dance while Bob watched her with ill-concealed apprehension. He -detected, also, an uncanny interest in Mrs. Clarence's eyes as that -masterful lady eyed him and Mrs. Dan from a distance. Mrs. Dan almost -got him when--the saints be praised!--Mrs. Ralston, herself, tripped -blithely up and annexed him. For the moment he was safe, but only for -the moment. - -A reckless desire to end it all surged through Bob's inmost being. If -only his hostess would say something demanding an answer that would -incur such disapprobation on her part, he would feel impelled, in the -natural order of events, to hasten his departure. Maybe then (and he -thrilled at the thought), she might even intimate in her chilliest -manner that his _immediate_ departure would be the logical sequence of -some truthful spasm she, herself, had forced from him? He couldn't talk -French to Mrs. Ralston now; he was in honor bound not to. He would have -to speak right up in the King's English--or Uncle Sam's American. - -Of course, such a consummation--Bob's being practically _forced_ to take -his departure--was extremely unpleasant and awful to contemplate, yet -worse things could happen than that--a whole string of them, one right -after another! - -However, he had no such luck as to be ordered forthwith off the -premises. He didn't offend Mrs. Ralston at all. That lady was very nice -to him (or otherwise, from Bob's present view-point) and did most of the -talking herself. Perhaps she considered that compliment (?) Bob had -bestowed upon her at the Waldorf sufficient to excuse him for a while -from further undue efforts at flattery. At any rate, she didn't seem to -take it amiss that Bob didn't say a lot more of equally nice things in -that Chesterfieldian manner and with such a perfect French accent. - -But he "got in bad" that afternoon with divers and sundry other guests -of Mrs. Ralston. Mrs. Augustus O. Vanderpool and Miss Gerald weren't the -only ones who threw cold glances his way, for the faux pas he made--that -he _had_ to make--were something dreadful. For example, when some one -asked him what he thought of Miss Schermerhorn's voice, he had to say -huskily what was in his mind: - -"It is rather too strident, isn't it?" No sugar-coating the truth! If he -had said anything else he would have been compromising with veracity; he -would not have spoken the thought born in his brain at the question. Of -course, some one repeated what he said to Miss Schermerhorn, who came -from one of the oldest families, was tall and angular, and cherished -fond illusions, or delusions, that she was an amateur nightingale. The -some one who repeated, had to repeat, because Miss Schermerhorn was her -dearest friend and confidante. Then Miss Schermerhorn came right up to -Bob and asked him if he had said it and he was obliged to answer that he -had. What she said, or thought, need not be repeated. She left poor Bob -feeling about as big as a caterpillar. - -"How very tactful of Mr. Bennett!" was all Miss Gerald said, when Miss -Dolly related to her the little incident. - -"That's just what I adore in him!" gushed the temperamental little -thing. "He doesn't seem to be afraid of saying anything to anybody. He's -so delightfully frank!" - -"Frank, certainly!" answered Miss Gerald icily. - -"Anyhow, he's a regular tango-king!" murmured Miss Dolly dreamily. - -"I'm so glad _you_ approve of him, dear!" said Miss Gerald with an -enigmatic smile. Perhaps she implied the temperamental little thing -found herself in a class, all by herself, in this regard. - -The latter flew over to Bob. If he was so "frank" and ingenuous about -Miss Schermerhorn, perhaps he would be equally so with other persons. -Miss Dolly asked him if he didn't think the bishop's sermons "just too -dear?" Bob did not. "Why not?" she persisted. Bob had just been reading -_The Outside of the Pot_. "Why not?" repeated Miss Dolly. - -"Antediluvian!" groaned Bob, then turned a fiery red. The bishop, -standing on the other side of the doorway, had overheard. Maybe Miss -Dolly had known he stood there for she now giggled and fled. Bob wanted -to sink through the floor, but he couldn't. - -"So, sir, you think my sermons antediluvian?" said the bishop, with a -twinkle of the eye. _He_ never got mad, he was the best old man that way -that ever happened. - -"Yes, sir," replied Bob, by rote. - -"Thank you," said the bishop, and rubbed his nose. Then he eyed Bob -curiously. "Maybe you're right," he said. That made Bob feel awful, but -he couldn't retract. The truth as he saw it!--He felt as if he were -chained to the wheel of fate--the truth as he saw it, though the heavens -fell! - -"Of course, that's only my poor insignificant opinion," he murmured -miserably. - -"Every man's opinion is entitled to respect," said the bishop. - -"Yes, sir," replied Bob, more miserably still. - -The bishop continued to study him. "You interest me, Mr. Bennett." - -"Do I?" said Bob. "I'm rather interesting to myself just now." - -"You evidently agree with the author of _The Outside of the Pot_?" - -"That's it." Weakly. - -"Well, cheer up," said the bishop, and walked away. - -Later in the day the judge might have been heard to say to the bishop -that "that young Bennett cub is a good-for-nothing jackanapes"--from -which it might be inferred Bob had somehow managed to rub the judge's -ermine the wrong way. - -"Ha! ha!" laughed the bishop. "Did some one ask him what he thought of -judges?" - -But the judge did not laugh. His frown was awful. - -"Or was it about the 'recall'? Or the relation of judges and -corporations?" - -The judge looked stern as Jove. "Ass!" he muttered. - -"Maybe he's a progressive," returned the bishop. "The world seems to be -changing. Ought we to change with it, I wonder?" - -"I don't," snapped the judge. "If the world to-day is producing such -fatuous blockheads, give me the world as it was." - -"The trouble is," said the bishop, again rubbing his nose, "can we get -it back? Hasn't it left us behind and are we ever going to catch up?" - -"Fudge!" said the judge. He and the bishop were such old friends, he -could take that liberty. - -Another of the sterner sex--one of Mrs. Ralston's guests--looked as if -he, too, could have said: "Fudge!" His lips fairly curled when he -regarded Bob. He specialized as a vivisectionist, and he was a great -authority. Now Bob loved the "under-dog" and was naturally kind and -sympathetic. He had been blessed--or cursed--with a very tender heart -for such a compact, well-put-up, six foot or so compound of hard-headed -masculinity. Miss Dolly--imp of mischief--again rather forced the talk. -It must be wonderful to cut things up and juggle with hind legs and -kidneys and brains and mix them all up with different animals, until a -poor little cat didn't know if it had a dog's brain or its own? And was -it true that sometimes the dogs me-owed, and when a cat started to purr -did it wag its tail instead? This was all right from Miss Dolly, but -when the conversation expanded and Bob was appealed to, it was -different. "Wouldn't _you_ just love to mix up the different 'parts'?" -asked Miss Dolly, and put a rabbit's leg on a pussy, just to watch its -expression of surprise when it started to run and found itself only able -to jump, or half-jump? That got honest Bob--who couldn't have carved up -a poor dumb beast, to save his life--fairly involved, and before he had -staggered from that conversational morass, he had offended Authority -about two dozen times. Indeed, Authority openly turned its back on him. -Authority found Bob impossible. - -These are fair samples of a few of his experiences. And all the while he -had an uneasy presentiment that Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence were waiting -to get him and have _their_ innings. Now, Mrs. Dan would bestow upon him -a too sweet smile between games of tennis; then Mrs. Clarence would -drift casually in his direction, but something would happen that would -prevent a heart-to-heart duologue, and she would as casually drift away -again. These hit-and-miss tactics, however, gradually got on Bob's -nerves, and in consequence, he who was usually a star and a cracker jack -at the game, played abominable tennis that afternoon--thus enhancing his -unpopularity with divers partners who simply couldn't understand why he -had fallen off so. Indeed, about every one he came in contact with was -profoundly dissatisfied or disgusted with Bob. Miss Gerald, who usually -played with him, now firmly but unostentatiously, avoided him, and -though Bob couldn't blame her, of course, still the fact did not tend to -mitigate his melancholy. - -How different in the past!--that glorious, never-to-be-forgotten past! -Then he had inwardly reveled and rejoiced in her lithe movements--for -with all her stateliness and proud carriage, she was like a young -panther for grace. Now as luckless Bob played with some one else, a -tantalizing college ditty floated through his brain: "I wonder who's -kissing her now?" - -Of course, no one was. She wasn't that kind. Though some one, some day, -would! It was in the natural order of things bound to occur, and Bob, in -fancy, saw those disdainful red lips, with some one hovering over, as he -swung at a white ball and sent it--well, not where he should have. - -"You are playing very badly, partner," a reproving voice reminded him. - -Bob muttered something. Confound that frivolous haunting song! He would -dismiss the dire and absurd possibility. Some one else was with her, -though, and that was sufficiently poignant. There were several of the -fellows tremendously smitten in that quarter. Fine, husky athletic -chaps, too! Some of them quite expert at wooing, no doubt, for devotees -of house-parties become educated and acquire finesse. They don't have to -tell the truth all the time, but on the contrary, are privileged to -prevaricate in the most artistic manner. They can gaze into beautiful -eyes and swear that they have "never before," and so on. They can -perform prodigies of prevarication and "get away" with them. Bob played -now even worse than before. - -The sun got low at last, however, and wearily he retired to his room, to -change his garments for dinner. Incidentally, he surveyed himself in the -mirror with haunting earnestness of gaze. Had he grown perceptibly -older? He thought he could detect a few lines of care on his erstwhile -unsullied brow, and with a sigh, he turned away to array himself in the -customary black--or "glad rags"--which seemed now, however, but the -habiliments of woe. Then he descended to receive a new shock; he found -out that Mrs. Ralston had assigned Mrs. Dan to him, to take in to -dinner. Drearily Bob wondered if it were mere chance that he had drawn -Mrs. Dan for a dinner prize, or if Mrs. Dan herself had somehow brought -about that, to her, desired consummation. As he gave Mrs. Dan his arm he -saw Mrs. Clarence exchange glances with the commodore's good lady. Mrs. -Ralston went in with the monocle man. - - - - - CHAPTER VI--DINNER - - -Mrs. Dan dallied with Bob, displaying all the artifices of an old -campaigner. Of course, she had no idea how easy it might be for her to -learn all she wanted to. She could not know he was like a barrel or -puncheon of information and that all she had to do was to pull the plug -and let information flow out. She regarded Bob more in the light of a -safety vault; the bishop's interruption had put him on his guard and she -would have to get through those massive outer-doors of his reserve, -before she could force the many smaller doors to various boxes full of -startling facts. - -It was a fine tableful of people, of which they were a part. Wealth, -beauty, brains and brawn were all there. An orchestra played somewhere. -Being paid performers you didn't see them and as distance lends -enchantment to music, on most occasions, the result was admirable. -Delicate orchids everywhere charmed with their hues without exuding that -too obtrusive perfume of commoner flowers. Mrs. Ralston was an orchid -enthusiast and down on the Amazon she kept an orchid-hunter who, -whenever he found a new variety, sent her a cable. - -So Mrs. Dan started on orchids with Bob. She hadn't the slightest -interest in orchids, but she displayed a simulated interest that sounded -almost like real interest. Mrs. Dan hadn't practised on society, or had -society practise on her, all these years for nothing. She could get that -simulated-interested tone going without any effort. But Bob's attention -wandered, and he gazed toward Miss Gerald who occupied a place quite a -distance from him. - -Mrs. Dan, failing to interest Bob on orchids, now took another tack. She -sailed a conversational course on caviar. Men usually like things to -eat, and to talk about them, especially such caviar as this. But Bob -eyed the almost priceless Malasol as if it were composed of plain, -ordinary fish-eggs. He didn't even enthuse when he took a sip of Moselle -that matched the Malasol and had more "bouquet" than the flowers. So -Mrs. Dan, again altering her conversational course, sailed merrily -before the wind amid the breeze of general topics and gay light -persiflage. She was at her best now. There wasn't anything she didn't -know something about. She talked plays, operas and amusements which -gradually led her up to roof gardens. She took her time, though, before -laying the bowsprit of her desires straight in the real direction she -wished to go. She knew she could proceed cautiously and circumspectly, -that there was no need for hurry; the meal would be fairly prolonged. -Mrs. Ralston's dinners were elaborate affairs; there might even be a few -professional entertainment features between courses. - -"And speaking about roof gardens," went on Mrs. Dan, looking any way -save at Bob, "I believe you were telling me, only this afternoon, how -you and dear Dan were finally driven to them as a last resort. Poor Dan! -So glad to hear he could get a breath of fresh air in that stuffy old -town! Just hated to think of him confined to some stuffy old office. Men -work too hard in our strenuous, bustling country, don't you think so? -And then they break down prematurely. I've always told Dan," she rattled -on, "to enjoy himself--innocently, of course." She paused to take -breath. "Don't you think men work too hard in America, Mr. Bennett?" she -repeated. - -"Sometimes," said Bob. - -She gave him a quick look. Perhaps she was proceeding rather fast, -though Bob didn't look on his guard. "As I told you, I adore roof -gardens. But you were telling me you men were not alone. What harm!" she -gurgled. "Some people," talking fast, "are so prudish. I'm sure we're -not put in the world to be that. Don't you agree?" - -"Of course," said Bob absently. He didn't like the way that fellow down -on the other side of the table was gazing into Miss Gwendoline's eyes. -"I beg your pardon. I--I don't think I caught that." - -"We were saying there were some wom--ladies with you," said Mrs. Dan -quickly. Too quickly! She strove to curb her precipitancy. "You -remember? You told me?" Her voice trailed off, as if it were a matter of -little interest. - -"Did I?" Bob caught himself up with a jerk. He felt now as if he were a -big fish being angled for, and gazed at her with sudden apprehension. -The lady's, mien however, was reassuring. - -"Of course," she laughed. "Don't you remember?" - -"I believe I did say something of the kind." Slowly. He had had to. - -"Surely you don't deny now?" she continued playfully. - -"No." He had not spared himself. He couldn't spare Dan. The lady's -manner seemed to say: "_I_ don't care a little bit." Anyhow, the evening -in question had passed innocently, if frivolously, enough. No harm would -come to Dan in consequence. And again Bob's interest floated elsewhere. - -He noticed Miss Gwendoline did not seem exactly averse to letting that -fellow by her side gaze into her eyes. Confound the fellow! He had one -of those open honest faces. A likable chap, too! One of the -Olympian-game brand! A weight-putter, or hammer-thrower, or something of -the kind. Bob could have heaved considerable of a sledge himself at that -moment. - -"Of course, boys will be boys," prattled Mrs. Dan at his side, just in -the least stridently. "I suppose you sat down and they just happened -along and sat down, too! You couldn't very well refuse to let them, -could you? That wouldn't have been very polite?" She hardly knew what -she was saying herself now. Though a conversational general, on most -occasions, her inward emotion was now running apace. It was almost -beating her judgment in the race. She tried to pull herself together. -"Why, in Paris, doing the sights at the Jardin or the Moulin Rouge, or -the Casino de Paris, every one takes it or them--these chance -acquaintances--as a matter of course. _Pour passer le temps!_ And why -not?" With a shrug and in her sprightliest manner. "So the ladies in -this instance, as you were saying, came right up, too, and--?" - -She paused. That was crude--clumsy--even though she rattled it off as if -without thinking. She was losing all her finesse. But again, to her -surprise, the fish took the bait. She did not know Bob's -predicament--that _he_ couldn't finesse. - -"Yes, they came up," said Bob reluctantly, though pleased that Mrs. Dan -appeared such a good kind of fellow. - -"Show-girls?" asked the lady quickly. - -"Well--ah!--two of them were." - -"Two? And what were the others?" - -Bob again regarded the lady apprehensively, but her expression was -eminently reassuring. It went with the music, the bright flowers and the -rest of the gay scene. Mrs. Dan's smile was one of unadulterated -enjoyment; she didn't seem displeased at all. Must be she wasn't -displeased! Perhaps she was like some of those model French wives who -aren't averse at all to having other ladies attentive to their husbands? -Mrs. Dan had lived in Paris and might have acquired with a real accent -an accompanying broad-mindedness of character. That might be what made -the dear old commodore act so happy most of the time, and so juvenile, -too! Mrs. Dan _looked_ broad-minded. She had a broad face and her figure -was broad--very! At the moment she seemed fairly to radiate -broad-mindedness and again Bob felt glad--on the commodore's account. He -had nothing to feel glad about, himself, with that confounded -hammer-thrower-- - -"Who were the others, did you say?" repeated Mrs. Dan, in her most -broad-minded tone. - -She seemed only talking to make conversation and looked away -unconcernedly as she spoke. Lucky for Dan she was broad-minded--that -they had once been expatriates together! Even if she hadn't been, -however, Bob would have had to tell the truth. - -"Who were the others?" he repeated absently, one eye on Miss Gerald. -"Oh, they were 'ponies.'" - -"'Ponies,'" said the lady giving a slight start and then recovering. "I -beg your pardon, but--ah--do you happen to be referring to the -horse-show?" - -"Not at all," answered Bob. "The ponies I refer to," wearily, "are not -equine." These technical explanations were tiresome. At that moment he -was more concerned with the hammer-thrower, who had evidently just -hurled a witticism at Miss Gerald, for both were laughing. Would that -Bob could have caught the silvery sound of her voice! Would he had been -near enough! Across the table, the little dark thing threw him a few -consolatory glances. He had almost forgotten about her. Miss Dolly's -temperamental eyes seemed to say "Drink to me only with thine eyes," and -Bob responded recklessly to the invitation. The little dark thing seemed -the only one on earth who was good to him. He drank to her with his -eyes--without becoming intoxicated. Then she held a glass to her lips -and gazed at him over it. He held one to his and did likewise. He should -have become doubly intoxicated, but he didn't. He set down his glass -mournfully. Miss Gerald noticed this sentimental little byplay, but what -Bob did was, of course, of no moment to her. - -"Ponies, Mr. Bennett? And not equine?" Mrs. Dan with difficulty -succeeded in again riveting Bob's wandering attention. "Ah, of course!" -Her accents rising frivolously. "How stupid of me!" Gaily. "You mean the -kind that do the dancing in the musical shows." And Mrs. Dan glanced a -little furtively at her right. - -But on that side the good bishop was still expounding earnestly to the -lady he had brought in. He was not in the least interested in what Mrs. -Dan and Bob were saying. He was too much concerned in what he was saying -himself. At Bob's left sat the young lady who had been his partner at -tennis in the afternoon but she, obviously, took absolutely no interest -in Bob now. He had a vague recollection of having been forced to say -something in her hearing, earlier in the day, that had sounded almost as -bad as his tennis-playing had been. Truth, according to the -philosophers, is beautiful. Only it doesn't seem to be! This young lady -had turned as much of the back of a bare "cold shoulder" on Bob at the -table as she could. In fact, she made it quite clear Mrs. Dan could have -the young man entirely to herself. So Mrs. Dan and Bob were really as -alone, for confidential conversational purposes, as if they had been -secluded in some retired cozy-corner. - -"Two show-girls and two ponies!" Mrs. Dan went on blithely. "That made -one apiece." With a laugh. "Who got the ponies?" - -"Clarence got one." - -"And Dan?" - -Bob nodded. He had to, it was in the contract. The lady laughed again -right gaily. - -"Dan always did like the turf," she breathed softly. "So fond of the -track, or anything equine." - -For the moment Bob became again almost suspicious of her, she was _such_ -a "good fellow"! And Bob wasn't revengeful; because he had suffered -himself he didn't wish the commodore any harm. Of course it would be -rather a ghastly joke on the commodore if Mrs. Dan wasn't such a "good -fellow" as she seemed. But Bob dismissed that contingency. He was -helpless, anyway. He was no more than a chip in a stream. The current of -Mrs. Dan's questions carried him along. - -"And what did the pony Dan got, look like?" - -"I think she had reddish hair." - -"How lurid! I suppose you all had a few ponies with the ponies?" -Jocularly. - -"Yes," said the answering-machine. - -"I suppose the ponies had names? They usually do," she rattled on. - -"Yes. They had names, of course." - -"What was Dan's called?" - -The orchestra was playing a little louder now--one of those wild -pieces--a rhapsody! - -"Don't know her real name." - -"Her stage name, then?" - -"Not sure of that!" Doubtfully. - -"But Dan _must_ have called her something?" With a gay little laugh. - -"Yes." Bob hesitated. In spite of that funereal feeling, he couldn't -suppress a grin. "He called her Gee-gee." - -"Gee-gee!" almost shrieked the lady. Then she laughed harder than ever. -She was certainly a good actress. At that moment she caught Mrs. -Clarence Van Duzen's eye; it was coldly questioning. - -"And what did the pony Clarence got, look like?" Mrs. Dan had passed the -stage of analyzing or reasoning clearly. She didn't even ask herself why -Bob wasn't more evasive. She didn't want to know whether it was that -"good-fellow" manner on her part that had really deceived him into -unbosoming the truth to her, or whether--well, he had been drinking too -much? He held himself soberly enough, it is true, but there are strong -men who look sober and can walk a chalk line, when they aren't sober at -all. Bob might belong to that class. She thought she had detected -something on his breath when he passed on the links and he might have -been "hitting it up" pretty hard since, on the side, with some of the -men. In "vino veritas"! But whether "vino," or denseness on his part, -she was sure of the "veritas." Instinct told her she had heard the -truth. - -"And Clarence's pony--did she have red hair, too?" She put the question -in a different way, for Bob was hesitating again. - -"No." - -"What was its hue?" - -"Peroxide, I guess." Gloomily. - -"Is that all you remember?" Mrs. Dan now was plying questions -recklessly, regardlessly, as if Bob were on the witness-stand and she -were state prosecutor. - -"About all. Oh!--her nose turned up and she had a freckle." - -"How interesting!" Mrs. Dan's laugh was rather forced, and she and Mrs. -Clarence again exchanged glances, but Bob didn't notice. "And what was -she called?" Breathing a little hard. - -"Gid-up," said Bob gravely. - -"'Gid-up'!" Again the lady almost had a paroxysm, but whether or not of -mirth, who shall say. "Gee-gee and Gid-up!" Her broad bosom rose and -fell. - -"Telegram, sir!" At that moment Bob heard another voice at his elbow. -Across the table the man with the monocle was gazing at him curiously. - - - - - CHAPTER VII--VARYING VICISSITUDES - - -A footman had brought the message, which Bob now took and opened -mechanically. It was from the commodore. - -"For heaven's sake," it ran, "return at once to New York Will explain." - -Bob eyed it gloomily. The commodore must have been considerably rattled -when he had sent that. - -"Any answer, sir?" said the footman. - -Bob shook his head. What could he answer? He couldn't run away now; the -commodore ought to know that. Of all fool telegrams!-- - -"A business message, I suppose?" purred the lady at his side. "I trust -it is nothing very important, to call you away?" - -"No, I shouldn't call it important," said Bob. "Quite unnecessary, I -should call it." - -He crumpled up the message and thrust it into his pocket. At that moment -one of Mrs. Ralston's paid performers--a high-class monologist--began to -earn his fee. He was quite funny and soon had every one laughing. Bob -strove to forget his troubles and laugh too. Mrs. Dan couldn't very well -talk to him now, and relieved from that lady's pertinent prattle, he -gradually let that "dull-care grip" slip from his resistless fingers. -Welcoming the mocking goddess of the cap and bells, he yielded to the -infectious humor and before long forgot the telegram and everything save -that crop of near-new stories. - -But when the dinner was finally over, he found himself, again wrapped in -deep gloom, wandering alone on the broad balcony. He didn't just know -how he came to be out there all alone--whether he drifted away from -people or whether they drifted away from him. Anyhow he wasn't burdened -with any one's company. He entertained a vague recollection that several -people had turned their backs on him. So if he was forced to lead a -hermit's life it wasn't his fault. Probably old Diogenes hadn't _wanted_ -to live in that tub; people had made him. They wouldn't stand him in a -house. There wasn't room for him and any one else in the biggest house -ever built. So the only place where truth could find that real, cozy, -homey feeling was _alone_ in a tub. And things weren't any better -to-day. Nice commentary on our boasted "advanced civilization!" - -Bob felt as if he were the most-alone man in the world! Why, he was so -lonesome, he wasn't even acquainted with himself. This was only his -"double" walking here. He knew now what that German poet was driving at -in those _Der Doppleganger_ verses. His "double" was alone. Where was -he?--the real he--the original ego? Hanged if he knew! He looked up at -the moon, but it couldn't tell him. At the same time, in spite of that -new impersonal relationship he had established toward himself, he felt -he ought to be immensely relieved in one respect. There would be no -"cozy-cornering" for him that evening. He had the whole wide world to -himself. He could be a wandering Jew as well as a _Doppleganger_, if he -wanted to. - -He made out now two shadows, or figures, in the moonlight. Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence were walking and talking together, but somehow he wasn't -at all curious about them. His mental faculties seemed numbed, as if his -brain were way off somewhere--between the earth and the moon, perhaps. -Then he heard the purring of a car, which seemed way off, too. He saw -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence get into the car and heard Mrs. Dan murmur -something about the village and the telegraph office, and the car slid -downward. Bob watched its rear light receding this way and that, like a -will-o'-the-wisp, or a lonesome firefly, until it disappeared on the -winding road. A cool breeze touched him without cooling his brow. Bob -threw away a cigar. What's the use of smoking when you don't taste the -weed? - -He wondered what he should do now? Go to bed, or--? It was too early for -bed. He wouldn't go to bed at that hour, if he kept to that -even-tenor-of-his-way condition. He hadn't violated any condition, so -far. Those fellows who had inveigled him into this wild and woolly -moving-picture kind of an impossible freak performance would have to -concede that. There could be no ground for complaint that he wasn't -living up to the letter and spirit of his agreement, even at the -sacrifice of his most sacred feelings. Yes, by yonder gracious lady of -the glorious moon! He wondered where _his_ gracious lady was now and -what she was doing? Of course, the hammer-thrower was with her. - -"Are you meditating on your loneliness, Mr. Bennett?" said a -well-remembered voice. The tones were even and composed. They were also -distantly cold. Bob wheeled. Stars of a starry night! It was she. - - * * * * * - -She came right up and spoke to him--the pariah--the abhorred of many! -His heart gave a thump and he could feel its hammering as his glowing -eyes met the beautiful icy ones. - -"How did you get rid of him?" he breathed hoarsely. - -"Him?" said Miss Gwendoline Gerald, in a tone whose stillness should -have warned Bob. - -"That sledge-hammer man? That weight-putter? That Olympian village -blacksmith, I mean? The fellow with the open honest face?" - -"I don't believe I understand," observed the young lady, straight and -proud as a wonderful princess in the moonlight. Bob gazed at her in -rapture. Talk about the shoulders of that girl who had given him the -cold shoulder at the dinner-table!--Miss Gwendoline's shoulders were a -thousand times superior; they would cause any sculptor to rave. Their -plastic beauty was that of the purest marble in that pure light. And -that pure, perfect face, likewise bathed in the celestial flood of -light--until now, never had he quite realized what he had lost, in -losing her. - -"But never mind about explaining," went on the vision, apropos of Bob's -Olympian, village-blacksmith remark. "I didn't come to discuss -generalities." - -"Of course not," assented Bob eagerly. - -The music from the house now sounded suspiciously like a trot. Miss -Gerald saw, though indistinctly, a face look out of the door. It might -have been the little dark thing peering around for Bob, for she was -quite capable of doing that. Bob didn't notice her--if it were she. He -had eyes for but one. He was worshiping in that distant, eager, hungry, -lost-soul kind of a way. Miss Gerald's glance returned to Bob. - -"Will you be so good as to take a turn or two about the garden with me?" -she said in a calm, if hard and matter-of-fact tone. A number of people -were now approaching from the other end of the broad, partially-enclosed -space and Miss Gerald had observed them. - -"Will I?" Bob's accents expressed more eloquently than words how he felt -about complying with that request. Would a man dying of thirst drink a -goblet of cool, sparkling spring-water? Would a miser refuse gold? Or a -canine a bone? "Will I?" repeated Bob, ecstatically, and threw back his -shoulders. Thus men go forth to conquer. He did not realize how unique -he was at the moment, for he was quite swept away. The girl cast on him -a quick enigmatic glance, then led the way. - -Sometimes his eyes turned to the stars and sometimes toward her as they -moved along. In the latter instance, they were almost proprietary, as if -he knew she ought to belong to him, though she never would. The stars -seemed to say she was made for him, the breeze to whisper it. Of course, -he hadn't really any right to act "proprietary"; it was taking a certain -poetic license with the situation. Once Miss Gerald caught that -proprietary look and into the still depths of her own gaze sprang an -expression of wonder. But it didn't linger; her eyes became once more -coldly, proudly assured. - -Bob didn't ask whither she was leading him, or what fate had in store -for him. Sufficient unto the present moment was the happiness thereof! A -fool's paradise is better than no paradise at all. He didn't stop now to -consider that he might be playing with verity when he hugged to his -breast an illusory joy. - -She didn't talk at first, but he didn't find anything to complain of in -that. It was blissful enough just to swing along silently at her side. -He didn't have to bother about the truth-proposition when she didn't say -anything. He could yield to a quiet unadulterated joy in the stillness. -If denied, temporarily, the music of her voice, he was, at least, -privileged to visualize her, as she walked along the narrow path with -the freedom and grace of a young goddess, or one of Diana's lithe forest -attendants. The vision, at length, stopped at the verge of a terrace -where stood an Italian-looking little summer-house, or shelter. No one -was in it, and she entered. They wouldn't be disturbed here. - -She leaned on a marble balustrade and for a moment looked down upon the -shadowy tree-tops. The moonlight glinted a rounded white arm. Bob -breathed deep. It was a spot for lovers. But there was still no -love-light in Miss Gerald's eyes. They met the gaze of Bob, who hadn't -yet come out of that paradoxical trance, with cold contemplation. - -"Do you know what people are beginning to say about you, Mr. Bennett?" -began the vision, with considerable decision in her tones. - -"No," said Bob. - -"Some of them are wondering--well, if you are mentally quite all right." - -"Are they?" It was more the silvery sound of her voice than what people -were saying that interested Bob. - -"The judge and Mrs. Vanderpool have agreed that you aren't. People are a -little divided in the matter." - -"Indeed?" observed Bob. Of course if people were "divided," that would -make it more interesting for them. Give them something to talk about! - -"The doctor agrees with the judge and Mrs. Vanderpool, but the bishop -seems inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt," went on Miss -Gerald, her silvery tones as tranquil and cold as moonlight on the still -surface of an inland sea. "He said something about inherited -eccentricities, probably just beginning to crop out. Or suggested it -might be--well, a pose." - -"Very nice of the bishop!" muttered Bob. "Benefit of the doubt? Quite -so! Fine old chap!" - -"Is that all you have to say?" said Miss Gerald, a faint note of scorn -in her voice now. As she spoke she leaned slightly toward him. The -moonlight touched the golden hair. - -"Maybe he felt he had to differ," remarked Bob, intent on the golden -hair (it wasn't golden out here, of course) and the stars beyond. "He -might not really differ at heart, but he had to seem broad and -charitable. Ecclesiastical obligation, or habit, don't you see!" - -"I don't quite see," said the girl, though her bright eyes looked -capable of seeing a great deal. - -"No?" murmured Bob. Some of that paradoxical happiness seemed to be -fading from him. He couldn't hold it; it seemed as elusive as moonshine. -If only she would stand there silently and let him continue to worship -her, like that devout lover in the song--in "distant reverence." It -wasn't surely quite consistent for a goddess to be so practical and -matter-of-fact. - -"There are others who agree with the doctor and the judge and Mrs. -Vanderpool," continued the girl. - -"You mean about my having a screw loose?" - -"Exactly." Crisply. "And some of them have consulted me." - -"And what did you say?" Quickly. - -"I'm afraid I couldn't enlighten them. I believe I suggested that sun -theory--although it really wasn't blistering hot to-day, and you," with -inimitable irony, "look capable of standing a little sunshine." - -"Yes, I feel as if I could stand a whole lot," said Bob gloomily. - -"Also I said," unmindful of this last remark, "there is sometimes a -method in eccentricity, or madness. Lord Stanfield agreed with me. He -said he found you an 'interesting young man.'" - -"Did he? Confound his impudence!" That monocle-man certainly did ruffle -Bob. - -"You forget he's an old friend of my aunt's." Severely. "As I was -saying, Lord Stanfield found you 'interesting,' and we agreed there -might be a method," studying him closely, "but when we came to search -for one, we couldn't find it." - -She didn't ask a question, so he didn't have to reply. - -"Mr. Bennett, why did you answer me like that down in the village?" - -Bob hung his head. He felt worse than a boy detected stealing apples. -"Had to," he muttered desperately. - -"Why?" There was no mercy in that still pitiless voice. - -Bob took another long breath. "Please don't ask me," he pleaded after an -ominous pause. That wasn't not telling the truth; it was only -temporizing. - -The violet eyes gleamed dangerously. "I'm just a little bit curious," -said the girl in the same annihilating tone. "In the light of subsequent -proceedings, you will understand! And as Mrs. Ralston's niece! Aunt -doesn't quite realize things yet. The others have spared her feelings. I -haven't, of course, gone to her. Aunt and I never 'talk over' our -guests." Proudly. - -That made Bob wince. He looked at her with quite helpless eyes. "Maybe -she will order me off the premises before long," he said eagerly. "I -have already been considering the possibility of it. Believe me," -earnestly, "it would be the best way. Can't you see -I'm--dangerous--positively dangerous? I'm worse than a socialist--an -anarchist! Why, a Russian nihilist couldn't make half the trouble in the -world that I can. I'm a regular walking disturber. Disaster follows in -my path." Bitterly. "Some people look upon me as worse than the black -plague. Now if your aunt would only turn me out? You see I can't go -unless she does. Got to think of that even-tenor-of-my-way! But if she -would only quietly intimate--or set the dog on me--" - -The girl gazed at him more steadily. "I wonder if the judge and the -doctor and Mrs. Vanderpool aren't right, after all?" she observed -slowly. "Let me look in your eyes, Mr. Bennett." Bob did. Miss Gerald -had heard that one could always tell crazy people by their eyes. She -intended to sift this matter to the bottom and therefore proceeded with -characteristic directness. Folk that were--well, "off," she had been -told, invariably showed that they were that, by a peculiar glitter. - -Miss Gerald gazed a few moments critically, steadily and with unswerving -intention. Bob withstood that look with mingled wretchedness and -rapture. He began to forget that they were just the eyes of a would-be -expert on a mental matter, and his own eyes, looking deeper and deeper -in those wonderful violet depths (he stood so she got the benefit of the -moonlight) began to gleam with that old, old gleam Miss Gerald could -remember in the past. Bob had never _talked_ love in those blissful days -of yore, but he had looked it. - -"I don't see any signs of insanity," said the girl at length with cold -assurance. That gleam wasn't a glitter. Nothing crazy about it! She had -seen it too often in other men's eyes, as well as in Bob's--not perhaps -to such a marked degree in other men's eyes,-but sufficiently so that -she was fairly familiar with it. "You look normal enough to me." - -"Thank you," said Bob gratefully. - -"And that's just why"--a slight frown on the smooth fine brow--"I don't -understand. Of course, a man not normal, might have answered as you did -me (I'm not thinking of it as a personal matter, you will understand)." - -"Oh, I understand that," returned Bob. "I'm just a problem, not a -person." She made him quite realize that. She made it perfectly and -unmistakably apparent that he was, unto her, as some example in -trigonometry, or geometry, or algebra, and she wanted to find the -"solution." He was an "X"--the unknown quantity. The expression on her -patrician features was entirely scholastic and calculating. Bob now felt -the ardor of his gaze becoming cold as moonlight. This wasn't a lovers' -bower; it was only a _palestra_, or an observatory. - -"You haven't answered me yet," she said. - -No diverting her from her purpose! She was certainly persistent. - -"You insist I shall tell you why I didn't want to see you?" - -She looked at him quickly. "That isn't what I asked, Mr. Bennett. I -asked you to explain that remark in the village." - -"Same thing!" he murmured. "And it's rather hard to explain, but if I've -got to--?" He looked at her. On her face was the look of proud -unyielding insistence. "Of course, I've got to tell you the truth," said -Bob, and his tone now was dead and dull. "In the first place, dad's -busted, clean down and out, and--well, I thought I wouldn't see you any -more." - -"I fail to see the connection." Her tones were as metallic as a voice -like hers could make them. - -"It's like this!" said Bob, ruffling his hair. Here was a fine romantic -way to make an avowal. "You see I was in love with you," he observed, -looking the other way and addressing one of the furthermost stars of the -heaven. "And--and--when a fellow's in love--and he can't--ah!--well, you -know--ask the girl--you understand?" - -"Very vaguely," said Miss Gerald. Bob's explanation, so far, was one of -those explanations that didn't explain. If he had so heroically made up -his mind not to see her, he could have stayed away, of course, from the -Ralston house. He couldn't explain how he was bound to accept the -invitation to come, on account of being in "honor bound" to that -confounded commodore, et al., to do so. There were bound to be loose -ends to his explanation. Besides, those other awfully unpleasant things -that had happened? He had to tell the truth, but he couldn't tell why he -was telling the truth. That had been the understanding. - -Miss Gerald, at this point, began to display some of those alert and -analytical qualities of mind that had made her father one of the great -railroad men of his day. For an instant she had turned her head slightly -at Bob's avowal--who shall say why? It may be she had felt the blood -rush swiftly to her face, but if so a moment later she looked at him -with that same icy calm. One hand had tightened on the cold balustrade, -but Bob hadn't noticed that. She plied him now with a number of -questions. She kept him on the gridiron and while he wriggled and -twisted she stirred up the coals, displaying all the ability of an -expert stoker. He was supersensitive about seeing her and yet as a free -agent (she thought him that) he _had_ seen her. From her point of view, -his mental processes were hopelessly illogical--worse than that. Yet she -knew he was possessed of a tolerable mentality and a good-enough -judgment for one who had in his composition a slight touch of -recklessness. - -"I give it up," she said at length wearily. - -"Do you? Oh, thank you!" exclaimed Bob gratefully. "And if your aunt -orders me from the place--" - -"But why can't you just go, if you want to? I'm sure no one will detain -you." Haughtily. - -"Can't explain, only it's impossible. Like Prometheus bound to the rock -for vultures to peck at, unless--" - -"How intelligible! And what a happy simile--under the circumstances!" -with far-reaching scorn. "What if I should tell my aunt that her guest -compared himself to--?" - -"That's the idea!" returned Bob enthusiastically. "Tell her that! Then, -by jove, she would--Promise me! Please!" - -"Of course," said the girl slowly, "my diagnosis must be wrong." Or -perhaps she meant that she had lost faith in that glitter-theory. - -"If you only _could_ understand!" burst from Bob explosively. It was -nature calling out, protesting against such a weight of anguish. - -But Miss Gerald did not respond. A statue could not have appeared more -unaffected and unsympathetic. She had half turned as if to go; then she -changed her mind and lingered. It annoyed her to feel she had been -baffled, for she was a young woman who liked to drive right to the heart -of things. Her father had been called a "czar" in his world, and she had -inherited, with other of his traits, certain imperious qualities. So for -a moment or two she stood thinking. - -An automobile from the village went by them and proceeded to the house. -It contained Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence returning from the telegraph -office, but Bob hardly saw it, or was aware who were its occupants. Miss -Gerald absorbed him to the exclusion of all else now. He had no mind for -other storms that might be gathering. Suddenly the girl turned on him -with abrupt swiftness. - - - - - CHAPTER VIII--NEW COMPLICATIONS - - -"Is your father's embarrassment serious?" she asked. - -Bob looked startled. He didn't like the way she had shifted the -conversation. "Pretty bad," he answered. - -"I believe, though, it's customary for men on the 'street' not to stay -'downed,' as they say?" - -"Don't know as it's an invariable rule," returned Bob evasively. Then -realizing it wouldn't do to be evasive: "As a matter of fact, I don't -believe I'm very well posted as to that," he added. - -"What does your father say?" she asked abruptly. - -Bob would much rather not have talked about that with her. But--"Dad -says there is no hope," he had to say. - -Miss Gerald was silent for a moment. As a child she remembered a very -gloomy period in her own father's career--when the "street" had him -"cornered." She remembered the funereal atmosphere of the big old -house--the depression on nearly every one's face--how everything had -seemed permeated with impending tragedy. She remembered how her father -looked at her, a great gloomy ghost of himself with somber burning eyes. -She remembered how seared and seamed his strong and massive face had -become in but a few days. But that was long ago and he had long since -left her for good. The vivid impression, however, of that gloomy period -during her childhood remained with her. It had always haunted her, -though her father had not been "downed" in the end. He had emerged from -the storm stronger than ever. - -The girl shot a sidewise look at Bob, standing now with his arms folded -like Hamlet. Perhaps he had come from such a funereal house as she, -herself, so well remembered? Had dad's trouble, or tragedy, weighed on -him unduly? Had it made him--for the moment--just slightly -irresponsible? Miss Gerald, as has been intimated, had frankly liked Bob -as an outdoor companion, or an indoor one, too, sometimes, for that -matter. He was one of the few men, for example, she would "trot" with. -He could "trot" in an eminently respectful manner, being possessed of an -innate refinement, or chivalry, which certainly seemed good to her, -after some of those other wild Terpsichorean performances of myriad -masculine manikins in the mad world of Milliondom. - -"I suppose your father has taken his trouble much to heart?" Miss Gerald -now observed. - -"Not a bit." - -"No?" In surprise. - -"No." - -"Why not?" - -"Said he looked to me to keep him in affluence the rest of his days." - -"To you?" - -"That's right." - -"But how?--What are you going to do?" - -"Hustle." - -"At what?" - -"Don't know. Got to find out." - -"What did you plan doing, when at college?" - -"Nothing." - -"Is it"--Miss Gerald got back to where she had been before--"the sense -of awful responsibility," with slight sarcasm, "that has turned your -brain?" - -"I'm not crazy." - -"No?" She remembered that most people in asylums say that. - -"Though I may be in a matter of three weeks," Bob added, more to himself -than to her. - -"Why three weeks?" - -"Well, if I don't--just shouldn't happen to go crazy during that time, -I'll be all right, after that." - -"Why do you allow a specified period for your mental deterioration?" - -"_I_ didn't allow it." - -"Who did?" - -"Can't tell you." - -Miss Gerald pondered on this answer. It would seem as if Bob had -"hallucinations," if nothing worse. He was possessed of the idea, no -doubt, that he would go crazy within three weeks. He didn't realize that -the "deterioration," she referred to, might have already begun. He -looked normal enough, though, had the most normal-looking eyes. Could it -be that he was acting? And if he was acting, why was he? That seemed -incomprehensible. Anyhow, it couldn't be a sense of responsibility that -had "upset" Bob. She became sure of that now. He played a losing game -with too much dash and brilliancy! Hadn't she seen him at polo--hadn't -she held her breath and thrilled when he had "sailed in" and with -irresistible vim snatched victory out of defeat? No; Bob wasn't a -"quitter." - -"So your father looks to you to support him?" - -"So he said. The governor's a bit of a joker though, you know. He may be -only putting up a bluff to try me out." - -"What did he advise you to do?" - -Bob shivered. "Matrimonial market." - -"You mean--?" - -"Heiress." Succinctly. - -"Any particular one?" - -"Dad did mention a name." - -"Not--?" She looked at him. - -"Yes." - -An awful pause. - -"Now you know why I didn't want to see you," said Bob, in that even -fatalistic voice. "First place, I wouldn't ask you to marry me, if you -were the last girl in the world! Second place, I was afraid if I saw -you, some of these things dad said to try me, would be bound to pop out. -You mustn't think badly of dad, Miss Gerald. As I've said, he didn't -mean a word of it. He was only sizing me up. Don't I know that twinkle -in his eye? Just wanted to see if I'm as lazy and good-for-nothing as -some chaps brought up with the silver spoon. Why, he'd--honestly, dad -would just kick me, if I took his advice. Why, if I went back home -to-morrow," went on Bob, warming to the subject, "and told him we were -engaged"--the girl moved slightly--"and were going to be married right -off"--the girl moved again--"why--why, old as I am, dad would take off -his coat and give me a good trouncing. That's the kind of a man dad is. -I see it all now." - -He really believed he did--and for the first time. He felt he had solved -the mystery of dad's manner and conduct. It _had_ been a mystery, but -the solution had come to him like an inspiration. Dad wanted to see -whether he would arise to the occasion. He had told him he didn't -believe he was worth his salt just to see his backbone stiffen. He had -alluded to that other way of repairing the "busted family credit" just -to observe the effect on Bob. And how dad must have chuckled inwardly at -Bob's response! Why, they'd almost had a scene, he and good old dad. Bob -could smile at it now--if he could smile at anything. He certainly had -been a numskull. Dad, pulling in fish somewhere, was probably still -chuckling to himself, and wondering how Bob would work out the problem. - -"Dad was always just like that when I was a boy," he confided to Miss -Gerald, now standing more than ever like a marble lady in the moonlight. -"He would propose the contrariest things! Always trying and testing me. -Guess that's why he acted so happy when he went broke. Thought it would -make a man of me! By jove, that's it! Why, he was as care-free as a boy -with a new top!" - -"Was he, indeed?" said Miss Gerald, studying Mr. Robert Bennett with -eyes that looked very deep now, beneath the imperious brows. "How nice!" -Oh, that tone was distant. It might have been wafted from one who stood -on an iceberg. - -"Isn't it?" Bob heaved a sigh. "I'm not afraid of you any more," he -said, "now that I've got that off my chest." - -Again Miss Gerald shivered slightly, but whether at the slang or not, -was not apparent. - -"You can't frighten me any more," said Bob. - -"But why," said Miss Gerald, "did you tell me, at all, of dad's--as you -call him--charming suggestion?" - -"Had to. Didn't you ask me?" In faint surprise. Then he remembered she -didn't know he _had_ to tell the truth. That made him look rather -foolish--or "imbecile," in the light of all those other proceedings. -Miss Gerald's brow contracted once more. Again she might be asking -herself if Master Robert was acting? Was this but gigantic, bombastic, -Quixotic "posing" after all? It was too extraordinary to speak of such -things as he had spoken of, to her! Did he only want to appear -different? Did he seek to combine Apollo with Bernard Shaw in his -attitude toward society? Or had he been reading Chesterton and was he -but striving to present in his own personality a futurist's effect of -upside-downness? Miss Gerald felt now the way she had at the modernists' -exhibition, when she had gazed and gazed at what was apparently a load -of wood falling down-stairs, and some one had told her to find the lady. -It was about as difficult to-night to find the real Mr. Bennett--the -happy-go-lucky Bob Bennett of last month or last week--as it had been to -find that lady where appeared only chaotic kindling wood. - -Miss Gerald let the cool air fan her brow for a few moments. This young -man was, at least, exhilarating. She felt a little dizzy. Meanwhile Bob -looked at her with that sad silly smile. - -"You can't ask me any questions that will disconcert me now," he -boasted. - -Miss Gerald looked at him squarely. "Will you marry me?" she said. - -It was a coup. Her father had been capable of just such coups as that. -He would hit the enemy in the most unexpected manner in the most -unexpected quarter, and thus overwhelm his foes. Miss Gerald might not -mean it; she, most likely, only said it. Under the circumstances, to get -at the truth herself, she was justified in saying almost anything. If he -were but posing, she would prick the bubble of his pretense. If those -grandiloquent, and, to her, totally unnecessary protestations didn't -mean anything, she wished to know it. He would never, never marry -her,--wouldn't he? Or, possibly, her question was but part of a plan, or -general campaign, on her part, to test his sanity? Six persons--real -competents, too!--had affirmed that he wasn't "just right." Be that as -it may, Miss Gerald dropped this bomb in Master Bob's camp and waited -the effect with mien serene. - -Her query worked the expected havoc, all right. Bob's jaw fell. Then his -eyes began to flash with a new fierce love-light. He couldn't help it. -Marry her?--Great Scott!--She, asking him, if he would? He felt his -pulses beating faster and the blood pumping in his veins. His arms went -out--very eager, strong, primitive arms they looked--that cave-man kind! -Arms that seize resistless maidens and enfold them, willy-nilly! Miss -Gerald really should have felt much alarmed, especially as there was so -much doubt as to Bob's sanity. It's bad enough to be alone with an -ordinary crazy man, but a crazy man who is in love with one? That is -calculated to be a rather unusual and thrilling experience. - -However, though Miss Gerald may have entertained a few secret fears and -possible regrets for her own somewhat mad precipitancy, she managed to -maintain a fair semblance of composure. She had the courage to "stand -by" the coup. She was like a tall lily that seems to hold itself -unafraid before the breaking of the tempest. She did not even draw back, -though she threw her head back slightly. And in her eyes was a -challenge. Not a love challenge, though Bob could not discern that! His -own gaze was too blurred. - -Miss Gerald suddenly drew in her breath quickly, as one who felt she -would need her courage now. Almost had Bob, in that moment of -forgetfulness, drawn her into his arms and so completed the paradoxical -picture of himself, when the impulse was abruptly arrested. He seemed -suddenly to awaken to a saner comprehension of the requirements of the -moment. His arms fell to his side. - -"That's a joke, of course," he said hoarsely. - -"And if it wasn't?" she challenged him. There was mockery now in her -eyes, and her figure had relaxed. - -"You affirm it isn't?" - -"I said _if_ it wasn't?" - -"I guess you win," said Bob wearily. These extremes of emotion were -wearing on the system. - -"You mean you wouldn't, even if I had really, actually--?" - -"I mean you certainly do know how to 'even up' with a chap. When he -doesn't dare dream of heaven, you suddenly pretend to fling open the -golden gates and invite him to enter." - -"Like St. Peter," said the girl. - -"Ah, you _are_ laughing," said Bob bitterly, and dropped his head. Her -assurance was regal. "As if it wasn't hard enough, anyway, to get you -out of my darn-fool head," he murmured reproachfully. - -"Then you reject me?" said the girl, moving toward the entrance. "Good! -I mean, bad! So humiliating to have been rejected! Good night, Mr. -Bennett. No--it isn't necessary for you to accompany me to the house. I -really couldn't think of troubling you after your unkind refusal to--" - -Bob groaned. "I say, there is always your aunt, you know, who can ask me -to vacate the--" he called out. - -"I'll think about it," said the lady. A faint perfume was wafted past -him and the vision vanished. Bob sank down on the cold marble seat. - - * * * * * - -He remained thus for some time, oblivious to the world, when another -car, en route from the village to the house, purred past him, spitting -viciously, however, between purrs. Bob didn't even look around. -Spit!--spit!--purr!--purr!--Its two lights were like the eyes of some -monster pussy-cat, on the war-path for trouble. Spit!--it seemed in a -horribly vicious mood. More "spits" than "purrs," now! Then the car -stopped, though it was some distance from the house. - -"Curse this old rattletrap!" said a man's voice. - -"Oh, I guess no one'll pay any attention to it," spoke another occupant. -"Besides, it was the only one to be had at the station, and we had to -get here quick." - -"You bet! The quicker, the better," observed a third man. - -They all got out, not far from where Bob sat in the dark gazing into a -void, but he did not notice. Cars might come, and cars might go, for all -of him. He was dimly aware of the sound of voices but he had no interest -in guests, newly-arrived or otherwise. One of the trio paid the driver -of the car and it purred back, somewhat less viciously, from whence it -came. - -"Better separate when we get near the house and approach it carefully," -said the first speaker in low tense tones. "We've got to get hold of him -without anybody knowing it." - -"That's right. Wouldn't do to let _them_"--with significant -accent--"know what we've come for," said the second man. The trio were -quite out of ear-shot of Bob, by now. - -"Hope it'll turn out all right," spoke the third anxiously. "Why, in -heaven's name, didn't we think of this in the first place?" - -"Can't think of every contingency!" answered the first speaker -viciously. "Our plan now is to get hold of one of the servants. A nice -fat tip, and then--Come on! No time to waste!" - -As they made their way up the driveway to the house Bob looked drearily -around. His eyes noted and mechanically followed the trio of dark forms. -He saw them stop near the house; then he observed one approach a side -window and peer in. A moment later another approached another window and -peered in. - -"That's funny!" thought Bob, without any particular emotion. At the same -time, he recalled that a band of burglars had been going about, looting -country-houses. Perhaps these fellows were after a few hundred thousand -dollars' worth of jewels? There might be half a million dollars' worth -of jewelry sprinkled about among Mrs. Ralston's guests. But what did it -matter? The presence of these intruders seemed too trifling a matter to -think about now, and Bob sank into another reverie. - -How long he remained thus, he did not know. The laughter and talk of a -number of guests, coming out the front way (end of a "trot," probably) -aroused him and Bob got up. - -As he did so, he fancied he saw again the three men he had noticed, then -forgotten, slip around toward the back of the house. Throughout the -gardens, the moonlight made clear spots on the ground where the bright -rays sifted through the foliage or shone down between the trees, and -they had to skip across one of these bright places to get around -somewhere behind the big mansion. Undoubtedly, the appearance from the -house of the guests who wanted to cool off had startled the intruders -and inspired a desire to make themselves less conspicuous for the time -being. Bob entertained a vague impression that the conduct of the trio -was rather crude and amateurish, though that didn't worry him. He didn't -care whether they were full-fledged yeggmen of the smoothest class, or -only bungling artists, a discredit to their profession. He dismissed -consideration of them as quickly again as he had done before. - -A yawn escaped his lips, and it rather surprised him that a -broken-hearted man could yawn. He looked at his watch, holding it in the -moonlight, and saw that it was late enough now so that he could retire -if he wished, without violating, to any great degree, that -even-tenor-of-his-way clause. Accordingly Bob got up and walked toward -the house. A side door was open and he went in that way and up to his -room. He was glad he didn't encounter any one--that is, any one he had -to speak to. The monocle-man drifted by him somewhere, but Bob didn't -have to pay much attention to him. He could imagine the superior way in -which the Britisher had informed Miss Gerald that he found him (Bob) an -"interesting young man." The monocle-man and the bishop seemed to agree -on that point. - -Undressing hastily, Bob flung himself into bed. He had gone through so -much he was tired and scarcely had he touched the sheets when the -welcoming arms of Morpheus claimed him. His sleep was sound--very sound! -In fact, it was so sound that something occurred and he didn't know it. -It occurred again--several times--and still he did not know it. Another -interval!--a long one! Bob yet slept the sleep of the overwrought. His -fagged brain was trying to readjust itself. He could have slept right -through to the dawn, but this was not to be. Long before the glowing god -made its appearance in the east, Bob was rudely yanked from the arms of -Morpheus. - - - - - CHAPTER IX--ANOTHER SURPRISE - - -Three men were in his room and Bob found himself sitting up in bed and -blinking at them. The lights they had turned on seemed rather bright. - -"Hello!" said Bob. - -"Hello yourself!" said the commodore in a low but nasty manner. "And not -so loud!" - -"Some sleeper, you are!" spoke Dickie in a savage whisper. - -"Believe he heard, all right!" came Clarence's hushed, unamiable tones. -"Perverse beast, and pretended not to!" - -Bob hugged his knees with his arms. "You've torn your pants," he -observed to the commodore. - -"Never you mind _that_" as guardedly, though no more pleasantly than -before. - -"Oh, all right," said Bob meekly. He didn't ask any questions, nor did -he exhibit any curiosity. There couldn't anything happen now that would -make matters much worse. But in that, he was "reckoning without his -host." - -"Got in the window, of course," he observed in a low unconcerned tone, -as if their coming and being there after midnight was the most natural -occurrence in the world. "Not so hard to get in, with that balcony out -there. All you had to do was to 'shin up' and then there's that trellis -to help. Good strong trellis, too. Regular Jacob's ladder! Easiest thing -for burglars! Thought you _were_ burglars," he added contemplatively. - -"You mean you saw us?" snapped the commodore, almost forgetting his -caution. His expression matched his tone. He was no longer the jovial -sailorman; he wore now a regular Dick Deadeye look. To Bob's -comprehensive glance he appeared like a fragment in a revival of -_Pinafore_. - -"Oh, I didn't know it was you," said Bob. - -"Where were you?" - -"Summer-house." - -"Think of that," murmured the commodore, disgustedly. "Bird at hand, and -we didn't know it. Fool of a bird had to hop away and make us all this -trouble!" - -"I told you I thought you were burglars," observed Bob patiently. He -didn't care how they abused him or what names they called him. - -That disagreeable look on Dan's face was replaced by a startled one. -"Good gracious, man"--only that wasn't the expression he used--"I hope -you haven't told any one you saw burglars prowling around? Nice for us -if you did!" As he spoke he gazed anxiously toward the window, before -which they had taken the precaution to draw a heavy drape after -entering. - -"No, I didn't tell a soul." - -"But--I don't understand why you didn't when you thought--?" - -"I ought to have spoken, I suppose," said Bob with a melancholy smile. -"But it didn't seem very important and--I guess I forgot. These little -jewel robberies are getting to be such commonplace occurrences!" - -The commodore stared at him. Then he touched his forehead. "A lot of -trouble you've made for us," he said, speaking in that low tense voice, -while Clarence and Dickie looked on in mad and reproachful fashion. -"Bribed a servant to tell you to slip out! Told him to whisper that we -were waiting in the garden and simply had to see you at once! Didn't you -hear him rap on your door?" - -"No," answered Bob sorrowfully. - -"Heavens, man! believe you'd sleep through an earthquake and cyclone -combined! Servant came back and told us he'd tapped on your door as -loudly as he dared. Was afraid he'd arouse the whole house if he knocked -louder. When you leave a 'call' at the hotels, how do they manage? Break -down the door with an ax?" - -Bob overlooked the sarcasm. The commodore might have thumped him with an -ax, at the moment, and he wouldn't have protested very hard. He murmured -a contrite apology. - -"Get my telegram?" said the commodore. - -"Yes. What _could_ you have been thinking about when you sent it? How -could I leave when I had to stay? Thought you must have been sailing -pretty close in the wind at the yacht club, when you dashed it off! -Could just feel your main-sail fluttering." - -The commodore swore softly but effectively. Clarence and Dickie murmured -something, too. Bob hugged his knees closer. Being so unhappy himself, -he couldn't but feel a dull sympathy when he saw any one else put out. - -"See here," said the commodore, "what's the situation? We never dreamed, -of course, that you would come here. Have you been talking with Mrs. Dan -and Mrs. Clarence? Dickie's been conjuring all kinds of awful things you -might have told them, if they cornered you and you got that -truth-telling stunt going. Dickie's got an imagination. Too confounded -much imagination!" Here the commodore wiped his brow. That was quite a -bad tear in his pants but he appeared oblivious to it. "Maybe you would -have thought it a capital way to turn the tables on us poor chaps?" he -went on, stabbing Bob with a baleful look. "Perhaps you came here on -purpose?" - -"No," said Bob, "I couldn't have done that, of course, owing to the -conditions." And he related what had happened to bring him there. - -Dan groaned. "Why, it was we, ourselves, who steered him right up -against her at the Waldorf. It was we who got him asked down here. I -suppose you've been chuckling ever since you came?" Turning on Bob, with -a correct imitation of Mr. Deadeye, at his grouchiest moment. - -"No," said Bob, speaking to immeasurable distance, "I haven't done any -chuckling since I came here. Nary a chuckle!" - -"Let's get down to brass tacks," interrupted Dickie, "and learn if our -worst apprehensions are realized. There's a girl down here I think a lot -of and I'd like to know if, by any chance, any conversation you may have -had with her turned on me. I allude to Miss Dolly--" - -"Hold on," said the commodore. "That's not very important. Suppose she -should have found out a few things about you? You aren't married. It's -different in the case of married men, like Clarence and me here. We'll -dismiss Miss Dolly, if you please, for the present--" - -"I really haven't said anything to Miss Dolly about you," said Bob to -Dickie. "Your name hasn't been mentioned between us." He was glad he -could reassure one of them, at least. He wouldn't have had Dickie so -sorrowful as himself for the world. - -That young man looked immensely relieved. It may be he experienced new -hope of leading the temperamental young thing to the altar, and -incidentally consummating a consolidation of competing chimneys, -conveniently contiguous. "Thanks, old chap," he said, and shook Bob's -hand heartily. - -"But what about us?" whispered the commodore sibilantly. "Have you -talked with Mrs. Clarence or Mrs. Dan to any great extent?" - -"I haven't had hardly a word with Mrs. Clarence," answered Bob, -whereupon Clarence began to "throw out his chest," the way Dickie had -done. - -The commodore shifted uneasily, seeming to find difficulty in continuing -the conversation. He moved back and forth once or twice, but realizing -he was making a slight noise, stood still again, and looked down at Bob. - -"Talk much with Mrs. Dan?" he at length asked nervously. - -"I did have a little conversation with Mrs. Dan," Bob was forced to -reply. "Or, I should say, to be strictly truthful, rather a long -conversation. You see, I took her in to dinner." - -The commodore showed signs of weakness. He seemed to have very -indecisive legs all of a sudden. "Talk about me?" he managed to -ejaculate. - -"Some. I'm not certain just how much." - -"What--what was said?" - -"I can't remember all. It's very confused. I've had a lot of -conversations, you see, and most of them awfully unpleasant. I remember, -though, that Mrs. Dan impressed me as a very broad-minded lady. Said she -had lived in Paris, and was not a bit jealous." - -"What!" Dan was breathing hard. - -"Said she always wanted you to have the best kind of a time." - -"Did she say that?" asked the commodore. "And you believed it? Go on." -In a choked voice. "Did you tell her about that cabaret evening?" - -"I believe it was mentioned, incidentally." - -"Say _I_ was there?" put in Clarence quickly. He was losing that -"chestiness." - -"I rather think I did. I--what is that?" Bob looked toward the window. -There was a sound below at the foot of the balcony. Some one turned out -the light in the room and Bob strode to the window and looked out. "It's -a dog," he said. "He's snuffing around at the foot." - -"He's doing more than snuffing," observed the commodore apprehensively, -as at that moment a bark smote the air. They stood motionless and -silent. The dog stopped barking, but went on snuffing. Maybe it would go -away after a moment, and they waited. Dickie and the commodore had -thrashed out that question of dogs. With so many guests around, they had -figured that, of course, they would be dog-safe. Didn't they look like -guests? How could a dog tell the difference between them and a guest? It -is true, they hadn't been expecting so much trouble as they had been put -to, to find Bob. They had, in that little balcony-climbing feat, rather -exceeded what they had expected to be called on to do. In their -impatience, they had acted somewhat impetuously, but it had looked just -as easy, after the servant had pointed out the room and told them Bob -was in, as certain sounds from his bed indubitably indicated. - -They couldn't very well enter the house as self-invited guests, though -they, of course, would have been made welcome. They couldn't very well -say they had all changed their minds about those original invitations -which had naturally included husbands as well as wives. After all three -had declined to come on account of business, it would certainly look -like collusion, if all three found they hadn't had urgent business, at -all, in town. If anything untoward or disastrous had happened in the -conversational line, with Bob as the Demon God, Truth, their sudden -entrance upon the stage of festivities, would seem to partake of inner -perturbation; it might even appear to be a united and concentrated case -of triple guilty conscience. This, obviously, must be avoided at any -cost. How they had heard Bob was here at the Ralston house, matters not. -Naturally they had kept tab on his movements, where he went and what he -did being of some moment to them. - -The dog barked again. Thereupon, a window opened and they knew that some -one had been aroused. - -"He's looking out. It's the monocle-chap," whispered Bob. - -"Who's he?" - -"One of Mrs. Ralston's importations. Belonged to that Anglo-English -colony when she did that little emigration act in dear old London." - -"Hang it, we've got to get out," whispered the commodore nervously. No -matter what had been said; no matter what the Demon God of Truth had -done, it was incumbent on them not to remain longer, with that dog -looking up toward Bob's window and making that spasmodic racket. Some -one might get up and go out and see footprints, or a disturbed trellis. -The commodore forgot a certain desperate business proposition, apropos -of that confounded wager, he had come to put to Bob. That infernal dog -got on his nerves and put that other matter, which would settle this -truth-telling stunt at once, right out of his mind. - -It was all very well, however, to say they "had to get out," but it was -another matter to tell how they were going to do it. They couldn't -descend the way they had come, and meet doggie. Bob arose to the -occasion. - -"I can let you into the hall and show you downstairs, to that side door -on the other side of the house. You can take one of my golf sticks, just -as a safeguard, but I think you'll be able to circumvent the jolly -little barker without being obliged to use it." - -"What kind of a dog is it?" whispered the commodore who had a pronounced -aversion to canines. - -"Looked like a smallish dog. Might be a bull." - -"Better give us each a club," suggested Clarence in a weak voice. - -Which Bob did. The dog renewed the vocal performance, and-- "Hurry," -whispered the commodore. "Find means to communicate with you to-morrow, -Mr. Bennett." Bob didn't resent the formality of this designation, which -implied to what depths he had fallen in good old Dan's estimation. "Can -we get down-stairs without any one hearing us?" - -Bob thought they could. Anyhow, they would have to try, so he opened the -door softly and led the way. Fortunately, the house was solidly built -and not creaky. They attained down-stairs safely, and at last reached -the side door without causing any disturbance. Bob unfastened the door, -the key turned noiselessly and they looked out. There was no sign of any -living thing on lawn or garden on this side of the house. - -"Out you go quickly," murmured Bob, glancing apprehensively over his -shoulder. His position was not a particularly agreeable one. Suppose one -of the servants, on an investigating tour as to the cause of doggie's -perturbation, should chance upon him (Bob) showing three men out of the -house in that secret manner at this time of night? - -But before disappearing into the night, the commodore took time to -whisper: "Was Gee-gee's name mentioned?" - -"I fear so," said Bob sadly. - -The commodore wasted another second or two to tell Bob fiercely what he -thought of him and how they would "fix" him on the morrow, after which -he sprang out and darted away like a rabbit. - -Bob wanted to call out that they were welcome to "fix" him, but he was -afraid that others beside Dan might hear him, so he closed and locked -the door carefully and stood there alone in the great hall, in his -dressing-gown. Then he sat down in a dark corner and listened. Better -wait until all was quiet, he told himself, before retracing his steps to -his room. The dog seemed to have stopped barking altogether now and soon -any persons it might have awakened would be asleep again. His trio of -visitors must be well on their way to the village by this time, he -thought. He was sorry the commodore seemed to feel so bad. And -Clarence?--poor Clarence! That last look of his haunted Bob. Anyhow, he -was pleased Dickie had, so far, escaped his (Bob's) devastating touch. - -How long he sat there he did not know. Probably only a few moments. A -big clock ticked near by, which was the only sound now to be heard. -Suddenly it occurred to him that he had better return to his room, and -wearily he arose. Up-stairs it seemed darker than it had been when he -had left his room. He had the dim lights in the great hall below to -guide him then. Now it was a little more difficult. However, after -traversing without mishap a few gloomy corridors--he realized what a big -house it really was--he reached, at last, his room near the end of one -of the upper halls and entered. - -He had a vague idea he had left his door partly ajar, but he wasn't -sure; probably he hadn't, for it was now closed; or maybe a draft of air -had closed it. Groping his way in the dark for his bed, he ran against a -chair. This ruffled his temper somewhat as the sharp edge had come in -contact with that sensitive part of the anatomy, known as the shin-bone. -He felt for his bed, but it wasn't there where it ought to be. He must -have got turned around coming in. His fingers ran over a dresser. Some -of the articles on it seemed strange to him. He thought he heard a -rustle and stood still, with senses alert, experiencing a regular -burglar-feeling at the moment. He hadn't become so ossified to emotion -as he had supposed. But everything was now as silent as the grave. Again -his hand swept out, to learn where he was, and again his fingers swept -over the dresser. What were all those confounded things? He didn't know -he had left so much loose junk lying around. And where was that -confounded switch-button? - -At that moment some one else found it, for the room became suddenly -flooded with light. Bob started back, and as he did so, something fell -from the dresser to the floor. He stared toward the bed in amazement and -horror. Some one, with the clothes drawn up about her, was sitting up. -Bob wasn't the only one who had a surprise that night. The -temperamental, little dark thing was treated to one, too. Above the -white counterpane, she stared at Bob. - - - - - CHAPTER X--INTO BONDAGE - - -She continued to stare for some moments, while he stood frozen to the -spot. Then the young lady's face changed. Fear, startled wonder, gave -way to an expression of growing comprehension and into her eyes came -such an excited look. - -"You!" said Miss Dolly in a thrilling whisper. And then--"Pick it up, -please." - -Instead of picking anything up--he didn't know what--Bob was about to -rush for the door, when-- "Stop! Or I'll scream," exclaimed Miss Dolly. -"I'll scream so loud I'll wake every one in the house." - -Bob stopped. In his eyes was an agony of contrition and shame. Miss -Dolly, however, seemed quite self-possessed. She might have been -frightened at first, but she was no longer that. Her temperamental, -somewhat childish face wore a thrill of pleasurable anticipation. "Now -pick it up," she repeated. - -"What?" stammered Bob in a shrinking voice. - -"The brooch, to be sure. Didn't you drop it?" - -"I?" said Bob, drawing his dressing-gown closer about him. They were -speaking in stage whispers. - -"Of course. Wasn't it what you came for?" - -"Came for? Great heavens!--Do you think?--" - -"Think?" said Miss Dolly. "I know." - -Bob looked at her. Her face appeared elf-like, uncannily wise. But for -all her outward calm, her eyes were great big, excited eyes. His -horrified glance turned quickly from them to regard a gleaming diamond -and pearl brooch on the rug. "Jumping Je-hoshaphat! You don't think -I'm--" - -"One of those thrilling society-highwaymen, or social buccaneers?" said -Miss Dolly. "Of course, and I'm so glad it happened like this. I -wouldn't have missed it for the world. Really, I've always wanted to -meet one of those popular heroes. And now to think my dream has come -true! It's just like a play, isn't it?" - -"It is not," replied Bob savagely. This was too much. It was just about -the last straw. "I--" Then he stopped. Suppose any one should hear him? -Miss Dolly's temperamental and comprehensive eyes read his thought. - -"I don't think there's any danger," she purred soothingly. "You see -there's a bathroom on one side of the room and a brick wall on the -other. I wouldn't be surprised if all the rooms are separated by brick -partitions," she confided to him. "Mrs. Ralston likes everything -perfect--sound-proof, fire-proof, and all that." - -"See here," said Bob. "I was just wandering around--couldn't -sleep--and--and I came in here, quite by mistake. Thought it was my own -room!" With some vehemence. - -Miss Dolly shook her head reprovingly, and her temperamental hair flowed -all about her over the white counterpane. She knew it must look very -becoming, it was such wonderful hair--that is, for dark hair. Bob -preferred light. Not that he was thinking of hair, now! "Can't you do -better than that?" asked the temperamental young thing. - -"Better than what?" queried Bob ill-naturedly. He was beginning to feel -real snappy. - -"Invent a better whopper, I mean?" - -"It isn't a whopper, and--and I positively refuse to stay here any -longer. Positively!" - -"Oh, no; not positively," said Miss Dolly, nodding a wise young head. -"You're going to stay, unless--you know the alternative. Since I'm -destined to be a heroine, I want a regular play-scene. I don't want my -part cut down to nothing. Don't you love thief-plays, Mr. Bennett? It's -such fun to see people running around, not knowing who _is_ the thief. -I'm sure I feel quite privileged, in this instance." - -Bob growled beneath his breath. He was handsome enough certainly for a -matinee hero. He was tall and lithe and had such clean-cut features. The -temperamental young thing regarded him with thrilling approval. He -entirely realized her ideal of a social burglar. It seemed almost too -good to be true. - -"I knew you were different from other men," she said. "Something told me -from the very first; perhaps it was the way you tangoed. I expected you -would ask me to trot, but you didn't." Reprovingly. "Suppose you were -otherwise engaged?" Glancing toward the brooch. - -"Not the way you think!" said Bob gloomily, looking more striking than -ever in that melancholy pose. It seemed to harmonize with a -crime-stained career. - -"Of course," murmured Dolly, "it was you who got Mrs. Templeton -Blenfield's wonderful emeralds?" - -"It was not," answered Bob curtly. - -"You were at that costume ball where she lost them?" - -"Suppose I was?" he snapped. Yes, snapped! There is a limit to human -endurance. - -"And you were at Mrs. Benton Briscoe's when a tiara mysteriously -disappeared?" - -"Well, I'm hanged!" said Bob, staring at her. - -"Oh, I hope not--that is, I hope you won't be, some day," answered -Dolly. "Are you going to 'fess up?' You'd better. Maybe I won't betray -you--yet. Maybe I won't at all, if you're real nice." - -"Oh!" said Bob. Whereupon she smiled at him sweetly, just as if to say -it was nice and exciting to have a great, big, bold (and wildly -handsome) society-highwayman in her power. Why, she could send him to -jail, if she wanted to. She had but to lift a little finger and he would -have to jump. The consciousness of guilty knowledge and power she -possessed made her glow all over. She didn't really know though, yet, -whether she would be kind or severe. - -"Do you operate alone, or with accomplices?" she asked, after a few -moments' pleasurable anticipations. - -"I beg pardon?" Bob was again gazing uneasily toward the door. - -"Got any pals?" She tried to talk the way they do in the thief-books. - -"No, I haven't," snapped Bob. That truth pact made it necessary to -answer the most silly questions. - -"Well, I didn't know but you had," murmured the temperamental young -thing. "I heard a dog barking and that made me think you might have -them. You're sure you didn't let anybody into the house?" - -"I didn't." - -Miss Dolly snuggled herself together more cozily. She seemed about to -ask some more questions. Perhaps she would want to know if he had let -anybody out, and then he would have to tell her-- - -"Look here," said Bob desperately. "Maybe it hasn't occurred to you, -but--this--this isn't exactly proper. Me here, like this, and you--" - -"Oh, I'm not afraid," answered Miss Dolly with wonderful assurance. "I -can quite take care of myself." - -"But--but--" more desperately--"if I should be discovered?--Can't you -see, for your own sake--?" - -"My own sake?" The big innocent eyes opened wider. "In that case, of -course, I'd tell them the truth." - -"The truth!" How he hated the word! "You mean that I--?" Glancing toward -the brooch. - -"Of course!" Tranquilly. - -Bob tried to consider. He could see what would happen to him, if they -were interrupted. It certainly was a most preposterous conversation, -anyhow. Besides, it wasn't the place or the time for a conversation of -any kind. He had just about made up his mind that he would go, whether -she screamed or not, and take the consequences, however disagreeable -they might be, when-- - -"Well, trot along," said Miss Dolly graciously. "I suppose you've got a -lot of work to do to-night and it's rather unkind to detain you. Only -pick up the brooch before you go." He obeyed. "Now put it on the dresser -and leave it there. Hard to do that, isn't it?" - -"No, it isn't." Savagely. - -"Well, you can go now. By the way, Mrs. Vanderpool has a big -bronze-colored diamond surrounded by wonderful pink pearls. It's an -antique and--would adorn a connoisseur's collection." - -"But I tell you I am not--" - -"My! How stupid, to keep on saying that! But, of course, you must really -be very clever. Society-highwaymen always are. Good night. So glad I was -thinking of something else and forgot to lock the door!" - -Bob went to the door and she considerately waited until he had reached -it; then she put out a hand and pushed a convenient button which shut -off the light. Bob opened the door but closed it quickly again. He -fancied he saw some one out there in the hall, a shadowy form in the -distance, but was not absolutely sure. - -"Aren't you gone?" said the temperamental young thing. - -"S-sh!" said Bob. - -For some moments there was silence, thrilling enough, even for her. Then -Bob gently opened the door once more, though very slightly, and peered -out of the tiniest crack, but he failed to see any one now, so concluded -he must have been mistaken. The shadows were most deceptive. Anyhow, -there was more danger in staying than in going, so he slid out and -closed the door. At the same moment he heard a very faint click. It -seemed to come from the other side of the hall. He didn't like that, he -told himself, and waited to make sure no one was about. The ensuing -silence reassured him somewhat; and the "click," he argued, might have -come from the door he himself had closed. - -The temperamental young thing, holding her breath, heard him now move -softly but swiftly away. She listened, nothing happened. Then she -stretched her young form luxuriously and pondered on the delirious -secret that was all hers. A secret that made Bob her slave! Abjectly her -slave! Like the servant of the lamp! She could compel him to turn -somersaults if she wanted to. - -Bob awoke with a slight headache, which, however, didn't surprise him -any. He only wondered his head didn't ache more. People came down to -breakfast almost any time, and sometimes they didn't come down at all -but sipped coffee in their rooms, continental-fashion. It was late when -Bob got up, so a goodly number of the guests--the exceptions including -Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence--were down by the time he sauntered into the -big sun-room, where breakfast was served to all with American appetites. - -The temperamental little thing managed accidentally (?) to encounter him -at the doorway before he got into the room with the others. He shivered -slightly when he saw her, though she looked most attractive in her -rather bizarre way. Bob gazed beyond her, however, to a vision in the -window. "Vision!" That just described what Miss Gwendoline looked like, -with the sunlight on her and making an aureole of her glorious fair -hair. Of course one could put an adjective or two, before the -"vision"--such as "beautiful," or something even stronger--without being -accused of extravagance. - -The little dark thing, uttering some platitude, followed Bob's look, but -she didn't appear jealous. She hadn't quite decided how much latitude to -give Bob. That young gentleman noticed that the hammer-thrower, looking -like one of those stalwart, masculine tea-passers in an English novel, -was not far from Miss Gwendoline. His big fingers could apparently -handle delicate china as well as mighty iron balls or sledges. He -comported himself as if his college education had included a course at -Tuller's in Oxford Street, in London, where six-foot guardsmen are -taught to maneuver among spindle-legged tables and to perform almost -impossible feats without damage to crockery. - -Miss Dolly now maneuvered so as to draw Bob aside in the hall to have a -word or two before he got to bacon and eggs. What she said didn't -improve his appetite. - -"I'm so disappointed in you," she began in a low voice. - -He asked why, though not because he really cared to know. - -"After that hint of mine!" she explained reproachfully. "About Mrs. -Vanderpool's bronze diamond, I mean!" - -"I fear I do not understand you," said Bob coldly. - -She bent nearer. "Of course I thought it would disappear," she murmured. -"I expected you to execute one of those clever coups, and so I went -purposely to Mrs. Vanderpool's room on some pretext this morning to -learn if it was gone. But it wasn't. I cleverly led the conversation up -to it and she showed it to me." - -"Great Scott!" he exclaimed. "Did you think she wouldn't have it to show -you? That it had found its way to my pockets?" - -"Of course," she answered. "And you _are_ quite sure you haven't it, -after all?" she asked suspiciously. - -"How could I, when you saw--" - -"Oh, you might have substituted a counterfeit brooch just like it for--" - -Bob groaned. "You certainly have absorbed those plays," he remarked. - -"I expected a whole lot of things would be gone," she went on, "and, -apparently," with disappointment, "no one has missed anything. It's -quite tame. Did you get discouraged because you failed to land the -'loot'--is that the word?--in my case? And did you then just go -prosaically to bed?" - -"I certainly went to bed, though there was nothing prosaic about the -procedure." - -"And yet what a dull night it must have been for you!" - -"I shouldn't call it that." - -"No?" She shifted the conversation. "Who do you suppose has come? Dickie -Donnelly. Said he had arrived in town on some business and took -advantage of the opportunity to make a little call on me. Incidentally, -he seems interested in you. Said he would make it a point to see you -after you got down. He's out on the veranda smoking now, I guess. He -wanted to talk to me but I made an excuse to shoo him away. He isn't -half so exciting as you are, you know. I'm quite positive now I couldn't -marry him and annex his old chimneys to ours, for all the world. -Chimneys are such commonplace means to a livelihood, Mr. Bennett, don't -you think? They are so ugly and dependable. Not at all romantic and -precarious! They just smoke and you get richer. There isn't a single -thrill in a whole forest of chimneys. But I mustn't really keep you from -your breakfast any longer," she added with sudden sedulousness. "I've -quite planned what we're going to do to-day." - -"You have?" With a slight accent on the first word. - -"Yes," she assured him quietly. "So run along now." - -The slave, glad to get away, started to obey, when--"One moment!" said -Miss Dolly as if seized with an afterthought. "Dickie asked about you so -particularly that it occurred to me that-- Well, do you think he harbors -any suspicions?" - -"Suspicions?" - -"Yes; do you imagine he, too, by any chance, may have guessed--you -know?" And Dolly again drew closer, her eyes beaming with new -excitement. - -Bob looked disagreeable, but he had to reply. "I'm sure he doesn't think -what you do," he answered ill-humoredly. - -Dolly looked relieved, but still slightly dubious. She didn't appear to -notice that lack of appreciation in Bob's manner for her interest in his -welfare. "Well, you'd better see him," she said in the tone of one who -had already established herself to the post of secret adviser. "He's -bent on an interview with you. Says it's business. And speaking about -business, what business could he possibly have in that dinky little -town? Unless he wanted to buy the whole village! His conduct is, to say -the least, slightly mysterious. Dickie may prove a factor to be reckoned -with." - -"That's true enough," assented Bob, and went in to breakfast. - -The temperamental little thing gazed after him approvingly; she quite -gloried in her big burglar. It was so nice to know something no one else -knew, to be a little wiser than all the rest of the world, including the -police and the detective force! Bob must be terribly resourceful and -subtle, to have deceived them all so thoroughly. He only seemed a little -dense at times, just to keep up the deception. It was a part of the -role. He wouldn't even let her, who knew his secret, see under the -surface and she liked him all the better for his reticence. It lent -piquancy to the situation and added zest to the game. Dickie's manner -had certainly seemed to her unduly sober. He appeared to have something -on his mind, though of course he was awfully eager and joyous about -seeing her. - -At the breakfast-table Bob only dallied with his hot rolls and took but -a few gulps of coffee. The monocle-man who sat near by noticed that want -of appetite. - -"Don't seem very keen for your feed this morning," he observed -jocularly. - -"No, not over-peckish," answered Bob. - -"Why not? You look--aw--fit enough!" Reaching for one of those racks for -unbuttered toast which Mrs. Ralston had brought home with her from -London. - -"Headache, for one thing," returned Bob. It was the truth, or part of -the truth. No one looked sympathetic, however. In fact, with the -exception of the monocle-man (Mrs. Ralston hadn't yet come down), every -one in there made it apparent he or she desired as little as possible of -Mr. Bennett's society. Bob soon got up, casting a last bitter glance at -Miss Gerald who seemed quite contented with her stalwart, honest-looking -hammer-thrower. And why not? His character, Bob reflected, was -unimpeachable. He looked so good and honest and so utterly wholesome -that Bob, who himself was tainted with suspicion, wanted to get out of -his presence. So Bob went out to the porch, to hunt up Dickie and -ascertain what was the matter with him? - -It didn't take Bob long to learn what was worrying Dickie. He was -carrying the weight of a new and tremendous responsibility. He had now -become an emissary, a friend in need, to Clarence and the commodore, who -certainly needed one at this moment. It seemed that Mrs. Clarence and -Mrs. Dan had set detectives searching for Gee-gee and Gid-up and they -had succeeded in locating one of the pair, partly by a freckle and a -turned-up nose. The detectives must have worked fast. They were assisted -by the fact that foolish Clarence had kept up an innocent and Platonic -friendship with "Gee-gee's" chum, after that momentous evening when Bob -had been along. Now when a young man begins to hang around the vicinity -of a stage door in a big car, he is apt to make himself a subject for -remark and to become known, especially to the door-keeper who takes a -fatherly interest in his Shetland herd. As Gid-up and Gee-gee were -inseparable, it was but a step to place one by the other. - -Detectives, Dickie informed Bob, had already interviewed the ladies. -They may have offered them money in exchange for information. Mrs. Dan -was very rich in her own name. She could outbid the commodore. Gid-up -might hesitate or refuse to supply or manufacture information for filthy -lucre, but Gee-gee was known to be ambitious. She longed to soar. And -here was a means to that end. Quite a legitimate and customary one! - -"Why, that girl would do anything to get herself talked about," said -Dickie sadly, thinking of Dan, and incidentally, too, of Clarence. -"She'd manufacture information by the car-load. Out of a little, -teeny-weeny remnant of truth, she'd build a magnificent divorce case. -Think of the glorious publicity! Why, Gee-gee and one of the -manager-chaps would sit up nights to see how many columns they could -fill each day in the press. They'd make poor old Dan out worse than -Nero. They'd picture him as a monster. They'd give him claws. And -Clarence would come crawling after him like a slimy snake. Incidentally, -they'd throw in a few weeps for Gee-gee. And then some more for Gid-up! -Why, man, when I think of the mischief you've done--" - -"Me?" said Bob miserably, almost overwhelmed by this pathetic picture -Dickie had drawn. "But it wasn't! It was Truth." Dickie snorted. "What -do you want me to do? Commit suicide? Annihilate truth? That would be -one way of doing it. I'm sure I shouldn't much mind. Shall I poison -Truth or blow its brains out? Or shall I take it down to the lake and -jump in with it? Do you think it has made _me_ very happy? What am I? -What have I become? Where is my good name?" He was thinking of what the -temperamental little thing considered him. "Say, do I look like a -criminal?" he demanded, confronting Dickie. The latter stared, then -shrugged. Of course, if Bob wanted to rave--? "Or a crazy man? Do I look -crazy?" he continued almost fiercely. "Well, there are people in there," -indicating the house, "who think I am." Dickie started slightly and -looked thoughtful. "You ask the judge, or the doctor, or--a lot of -others. Ask Miss Gwendoline Gerald," he concluded bitterly. - -Dickie shifted a leg. "It might not be a bad idea," he said in a -peculiar tone, whose accent Bob didn't notice, however. For some moments -the two young men sat moodily and silently side by side. - -"Where are Dan and Clarence now?" asked Bob in a dull tone, after a -while. - -"Gone to New York. Hustled there early this morning after some hurry-up -messages gave an inkling of what was going on. I'm to do my best at this -end. Keep my eyes on Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence, and incidentally, learn -and do what I can." - -As he spoke Dickie tapped his leg with his cane; at the same time he -bestowed another of those peculiar looks on Bob. Just then a young lady -stepped from the house and came toward them. She was in the trimmest -attire--for shooting or fishing--and looked extraordinarily trim, -herself. A footman followed with two light rods and a basket. - -"Come on," she said lightly to Bob. "Might as well get started. It's -almost noon." - -"Started?" he stammered, staring at her. - -"Yes, on that fishing excursion we planned." - -"We?" he repeated in the same tone. And then-- "All right!" he said. It -occurred to him, if he went off somewhere alone, with the temperamental -young thing, he wouldn't, at any rate, have to bob against a score or so -of other people throughout the day. Better one than a crowd! "I'm -ready," he added, taking the rods and small basket. - -"But, I say--" Dickie had arisen. There was a new look in his eyes--of -disappointment, surprise--perhaps apprehension, too! "I say--" he -repeated, looking darkly toward Bob. - -The temperamental young thing threw him a smile. "Sorry, Dickie, but a -previous engagement.--You know how it is!" - -"I can imagine," thought Dickie ominously, watching them disappear. Then -his glance shifted viciously toward the house, and there was a look of -stern determination in his eyes. As he mingled with others of the guests -a few moments later, however, his expression had become one of studied -amiability. Dickie was deep. His grievance now was as great as Dan's or -Clarence's. - - - - - CHAPTER XI--FISHING - - -They had an afternoon of it, Bob and Dolly. Bob made himself useful, if -not agreeable. He was a willing though not altogether cheerful slave. -But the girl did not appear to mind that. She had spirits enough for -both of them and ordered Bob around royally. She was nice to him, but -she wanted him to know that he was her property, as much hers as if she -had bought him at one of those old human auction sales. Only hers was a -white slave! - -She had the grandest time. She made him help her across the stream on a -number of unnecessary occasions, holding the slave's hand, so that she -wouldn't slip on the slippery stones. And once she had him carry her -across. She had to, because there weren't any stones, slippery or -otherwise, she could avail herself of, at that particular spot. It is -true she might have gone on a little farther and found some slippery -stones that would have served her purpose, but she pretended not to know -about them. Besides, what is the use of being a despot and having a -private slave, all to yourself, if you don't use him and make him work? -Mr. Bennett wasn't only a slave either, he was a romantic hero, as well, -and in the books, heroes always carry the heroines across streams. Miss -Dolly experienced a real bookish feeling when Bob carried her. He fully -realized the popular ideal, he had such strong arms. True, he didn't -breathe on her neck, or in her ear, and he grasped her rather gingerly, -but she found no fault over that. Her great big hero was a modest hero. -But he was very manly and masculine, too. - -He had plunged right in the stream, shoes and all, in spite of her -suggestion that he had better take them off. But what cared he for wet -feet? Might cause pneumonia, of course; but pneumonia had no terrors for -Bob! She smiled at his precipitancy, while secretly approving of it. The -act partook of a large gallantry. It reminded her of Sir Walter Raleigh -and that cloak episode. Miss Dolly nestled very cozily, en route, with a -warm young arm flung carelessly over a broad masculine shoulder and her -eyes were dreamy, the way heroines' eyes are in the books. She was not -thinking of chimneys. - -On the other side, she sat down, and imperiously--mistresses of slaves -are always imperious--bade him take off her shoes. It was doubly -exciting to vary the role of heroine with that of capricious -slave-mistress. Of course, she might just as well have taken off her -shoes on the other side and walked over but she never dreamed of doing -that. After the slave had taken off her shoes, she herself removed her -stockings, while the slave (seemingly cold and impassive as Angelo's -marble Greek slave) looked away. Then she dabbled her tiny white feet in -the cold stream. She was thinking of that Undine heroine. Dabbling her -feet, also made her feel bookish. Only in the books the heroes (or -slaves) gaze adoringly at said feet. Hers were worth gazing at, but Bob -didn't seem to have eyes. Never mind! She told herself she liked that -cold Anglo-Saxon phlegm (what an ugly word!) in a man. She saw in it a -foil to her own temperamental disposition. - -Having dabbled briefly, she held out a tiny foot and the slave dried it -with his handkerchief, looking very handsome as he knelt before her. -Then she put out the other and he repeated the operation. Then she put -on her shoes and stockings. Then she remembered they had come ostensibly -to fish and began whipping the stream spasmodically, while he did the -same mechanically. They caught one or two speckled beauties, or Bob did. -She couldn't land hers. They always got tangled in something which she -thought very cute of them. She didn't feel annoyed at all when they got -away, but just laughed as if it were the best kind of a joke, while Bob -looked at her amazed. She called _that_"sport." - -Then she made him build a "cunning little fire" on a rock and clean the -fish and cook them and set them before her. She graciously let him sit -by her side and partake of a few overdone titbits and a sandwich or two -they had brought in the basket. But she also made him jump up every once -in a while to do something, finding plenty of pretexts to keep him busy. -In fact, she had never been more waited upon in her life, which was just -what she wanted. Bob, however, didn't complain, for the minutes and -hours went by and she asked no embarrassing questions. She didn't make -herself disagreeable in that respect, and as long as she didn't, he -didn't mind helping her over rocks, or toting her. At least, this was a -respite. His headache wasn't quite so bad; the fresh air seemed to have -helped it. - -As for her thinking him one of those high-class society-burglars, or -social buccaneers, it didn't so much matter to him, after all. He was -getting rather accustomed to the idea. Of course, she would be terribly -disappointed if she ever found out he wasn't one, but there didn't seem -much chance of his ever clearing himself, in her mind, of that unjust -suspicion. At least, he reflected moodily, he was capable of making one -person in the world not positively miserable. Last night when he had -parted from Dickie, he had found a small grain of the same kind of -comfort, in the fact the he (or truth) had not harmed Dickie. But to-day -Dickie had appeared saddened by Dan's and Clarence's troubles. Then, -too, Bob had been obliged to walk off, right in front of Dickie's eyes -with the temperamental young thing whom Dickie wanted to marry the worst -way. And here he (Bob) was helping her over stones, "toting" frizzling -trout for her, and performing a hundred other little services which -should, by right, have been Dickie's pleasure and privilege to perform. - -Bob murmured a few idle regrets about Dickie, but Miss Dolly dismissed -them--and Dickie--peremptorily. She was sitting now, leaning against a -tree and the slave, by command, was lying at her feet. - -"Did you know," she said dreamily, "I am a new woman?" - -He didn't know it. He never would have dreamed it, and he told her so. - -"Yes," she observed, "I marched in the parade to Washington. That is, I -started, went a mile or two, and then got tired. But I marched there, in -principle, don't you see? I think women should throw off their shackles. -Don't you?" Bob might have replied he didn't know that Miss Dolly ever -had had any shackles to throw off, but she didn't give him time to -reply. "I read a book the other day wherein the women do the proposing," -she went on. "It's on an island and the women are 'superwomen.' All -women are 'super' nowadays." She regarded him tentatively. Her glance -was appraising. "Do you know of any reason why women should _not_ do the -proposing, Mr. Bennett?" - -"Can't say that I do," answered Bob gloomily, feeling as if some one had -suddenly laid a cold hand on his breast, right over where the heart is. -Her words had caused his thoughts to fly back to another. She might not -be proposing to the hammer-thrower at that moment in that "super" -fashion, but the chances were that the hammer-thrower was proposing to -her. He didn't look like a chap that would delay matters. He would -strike while the iron was hot. - -The temperamental young thing eyed Bob and then she eyed a -dreamy-looking cloud. She let the fingers of one hand stray idly in -Bob's hair as he lay with his head in the grass. - -"It tries hard to curl, doesn't it?" she remarked irrelevantly. - -"What?" said Bob absently, his mind about two miles and a half away. - -"Your hair. You've got lovely hair." Bob looked disgusted. "It started -to curl and then changed its mind, didn't it?" she giggled. - -Bob muttered disagreeably. - -"I suppose you were one of those curly-headed little boys?" went on the -temperamental young thing. - -"I don't know whether I was or not," he snapped. He was getting back -into that snappy mood. Then it struck him this might not be quite the -truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth, for he added sulkily; -"Maybe I was." - -"I can just see you," said the temperamental young thing in a far-off -voice. "Nursie must have thought you a darling." - -The slave again muttered ominously. He wished the temperamental little -thing would take her fingers away. They trailed now idly over an ear. - -"You're tickling," said Bob ill-naturedly. - -She stopped trailing and patted instead--very gently and carelessly--as -if she were patting a big Newfoundland dog which she owned all by -herself. That pat expressed a sense of ownership. - -"I'm wondering," she said, "whether it would make things nicer, if I did -propose and we became engaged?" - -"Oh," said Bob satirically, "you're wondering that, are you?" - -"Yes." More tentative pats. - -"And what do you suppose I'd say?" he demanded. He was feeling more and -more grouchy all the time. He didn't want any of that "superwoman" -business. He had already had one proposal. What mockery! A proposal! He -heard again that other "Will you marry me?" and looked once more, in -fancy, into the starry, enigmatical violet eyes. He experienced anew -that surging sensation in his veins. And he awoke again to the hollow -jest of those words! He felt, indeed, a moderately vivid duplication of -all his emotions of the night before. The temperamental young thing's -voice recalled him from the poignant recollections of the painful past -into the dreary and monotonous present. - -"Why, you actually blushed, just now," she said accusingly. - -"Did I?" growled Bob, looking grudgingly into dark eyes where a moment -before, in imagination, there had been starry violet ones. - -"Yes, you did. And"--her voice taking a tenderer accent--"it was -becoming, too." - -"Rush of blood to the head," he retorted shortly. "Comes from lying like -this." - -"What would you say if I did?" she demanded, reverting to that other -topic. "Propose, I mean? Would you accept? Would you take me--I mean, -shyly suffer me," with a giggle, "to take you into my arms?" - -"Quit joshing!" growled Bob. - -"Answer. Would you?" - -"No." - -"No?" Bending over him more closely. For a "super," she was certainly -wonderfully attractive in her slim young way at that moment. Not many of -the inferior sex would have acted quite so stonily as Bob acted. He -didn't show any more emotion when she bent over than one of those -prostrate stone Pharaohs, or Rameses, which lie around with immovable -features on the sands of Egypt. "You see you couldn't help it," the -super-temperamental young thing assured him, confidentially. - -"Ouch!" said Bob, for she was tickling again. He wished she would keep -those trailing fingers in her lap. They felt like a fly perambulating -his brow or walking around his ear. - -"You'd just have to accept me," she added. - -"Oh, you mean on account of that silly burglar business?" - -"Of course. You left two or three thumb-prints in the room." - -"I did?" That _was_ incriminating. No getting around thumb-prints! He -felt as if the temperamental little thing was weaving a mesh around him. -In addition to being a "super," she was a Lady of Shalott. - -Dolly thrilled with a sense of her power. She could play with poor Bob -as a cat with a mouse; she could let him go so far and then put out her -claws and draw him back. - -"Besides, I found out you didn't quite tell me the truth about those -accomplices of yours," she went on triumphantly. "You said there weren't -any, and when I went out and looked around where the dog barked, I found -footprints. They led to the trellis, right up into your room. The -trellis, too, showed some person, or persons, had climbed up, for some -of the boughs were broken. Deny now, if you can, you had visitors last -night," she challenged him. - -Bob didn't deny; he lay there helpless. - -"Of course," she said with another giggle, "I might let you say you'll -think it over. I might not press you too hard at once for an answer. I -don't want you to reply: 'This is so sudden,' or anything like that." -She got up suddenly with a little delirious laugh. "But I simply can't -wait. You look so handsome when you're cross. Besides, it will be so -exciting to be engaged to a--a--" - -"Society-burglar--" grimly. - -"That's it. I've never been engaged to a burglar before!" - -"But you have been engaged?" - -"Oh, yes. Lots of times. But not like this. This feels as if it might -lead--" - -"To the altar?" Satirically. - -"Yes." - -"But suppose I got caught?--that is, if I really enjoyed the distinction -of being a burglar which I am not?" - -"Then, of course, I never knew--you deceived me--poor innocent!--as well -as the rest of the world. And there would be columns and columns in the -papers. And some people would pity me, but most people would envy me. -And I'd visit you in jail with a handkerchief to my eyes and be -snap-shotted that way. And I'd sit in a dark corner in the court, -looking pale and interesting. And the lady reporters would interview me -and they'd publish my picture with yours--'Handsome Bob, the swell -society yeggman. Member of one of the oldest families, etc.' And--and--" - -"Great Scott!" cried Bob. She had that publicity-bee worse than Gee-gee. -In another moment she'd be setting the day. "Shall we--ah!--retrace our -steps?" - -It was getting late. The hours had gone by somehow and as she offered no -objections, they "retraced." For some time now she was silent. Perhaps -she was imagining herself too happy for words. Once or twice she cast a -sidelong glance shyly at Bob. It was the look of a capricious -slave-owner metamorphosed, through the power of love, into a yielding -and dependent young maiden. Bob was supposed to be the brutal conqueror. -Meanwhile that young man strode along unheedingly. He didn't mind any -little branches or bushes that happened to stand in his way and plowed -right through them. It would have been the same, if he had met that -historic bramble bush. A thousand scratches, more or less, wouldn't -count. - -"You can put your arm around me now," she observed, with another musical -but detestable giggle, as they passed through a grove, not very far from -the house. "It is quite customary here, you know." - -He didn't know, but he obeyed. What else could he do? - -"Now say something." Her voice had once more that ownership accent. - -"What do you want me to say?" None too graciously. - -"The usual thing! Those three words that make the world go around." - -"But I don't." Even a worm will turn. - -"You will." Softly. - -"I won't." - -"Oh, yes, you will." More softly. Then with a sigh: "This is the place. -Under this oak, carved all over with hearts and things. Do it." - -"What?" He looked down on lips red as cherries. - -"Are you going to?" - -"And if I don't?" he challenged her. - -"Finger-prints!" she said. "Footmarks!" - -"Oh, well! Confound it." And he did--the way a bird pecks at a cherry. - -She straightened with another giggle. "Our first!" she said. - -"Hope you're satisfied," he remarked grudgingly. - -"It will do for a beginning. Oh, dear! some one saw us!" He looked -around with a start, his unresponsive arm slipping from about a pliant -waist. - -"I don't see any one." - -"He's dodged behind a tree. I think it was Dickie. And--yes, there are -one or two other men. They--they seem to be dodging, too." Bob saw them -now. One, he was sure, was the commodore. - -"Funny performance, isn't it?" he said, with a sickly smile. - -"Perhaps--?" She looked at him with genuine awe in the temperamental -eyes. He read her thought; she thought--believed they had "come for -him." She appeared positively startled, and--yes, sedulous! Maybe, she -was discovering in herself a little bit of that "really, truly" feeling. - -"Oh!" she said. "They mustn't--" - -"Don't you worry," he reassured her. "I think I can safely promise you -they won't do what you expect them to." - -"You mean," joyously, "you have a way to circumvent them?" She was sure -now he had; the aristocratic burglars always have. He would probably -have a long and varied career before him yet. - -"I mean just what I say. But I think they want to talk with me? Indeed, -I'm quite sure they do. They are coming up now. Perhaps you'd better -leave me to deal with them." - -"You--you are sure they have no evidence to--?" - -"Land me in jail? Positively. I assure you, on my honor, you are the -only living person who, by any stretch of the imagination, could offer -damaging testimony against me, along that line." - -He spoke so confidently she felt it was the truth. "I believe you," she -said. She wanted to say more, befitting the thrill of the moment, but -she had no time. Dickie and two others were approaching. It might be -best if he met them alone. So she slipped away and walked toward the -house. It would be quite exciting enough afterward, she told herself, to -find out what happened. It wasn't until she got almost to the house, -that she remembered she ought to have asked Bob for a ring. Of course, -he would have a goodly supply of them. Would it make her _particeps -criminis_ though, if she wore one of his rings? Then she concluded it -wouldn't, because she was innocent of intention. She didn't know. She -wondered, also, if she should announce her "engagement" right off, or -wait a day or two. She decided to wait a day or two. But she told Miss -Gwendoline Gerald what a lovely time she and Mr. Bennett had had -together, fishing. And Miss Gerald smiled a cryptic smile. - -Meanwhile Bob had met Dan and Dickie and Clarence. - - - - - CHAPTER XII--JUST ONE THING AFTER ANOTHER - - -It was far from a pleasant meeting. Dickie looked about as amiable as a -wind or thunder demon, in front of a Japanese temple. That oscillatory -performance beneath the "kissing-oak," as the noble tree was called, had -been almost too much for Dickie. He seemed to have trouble in -articulating. - -"You're a nice one, aren't you?" he managed at length to say, and his -tones were like the splutter of a defective motor. "You ought to be -given a leather medal." - -"Could I help it?" said Bob wearily. And then because he was too much of -a gentleman to vouchsafe information incriminating a lady: "Usual place! -Customary thing! Blame it on the oak! Ha! ha!" This wasn't evading the -truth; it was simply facetiousness. Might as well meet this trio of -dodging brigands with a smiling face! Dickie's vocal motor failed to -explode, even spasmodically; that reply seemed to have extinguished him. -But the commodore awoke to vivacity. - -"Let us try to meet this situation calmly," he said, red as a -turkey-cock. "But let us walk as we talk," taking Bob's arm and leading -that young man unresistingly down a path to the driveway to the village. -"I shouldn't by any chance want to encounter Mrs. Dan just yet," he -explained. "So if you don't mind, we'll get away from here, while I -explain." - -Bob didn't mind. He saw no guile in the commodore's manner or words. Nor -did he observe how Clarence looked at Dickie. The twilight shadows were -beginning to fall. - -"Briefly," went on the commodore, as he steered them out of the woods, -"our worst fears have been realized. Negotiations with Gee-gee are in -progress. Divorce papers will probably follow." Clarence on the other -side of Dickie made a sound. "All this is your work." The commodore -seemed about to become savage, but he restrained himself. "No use -speaking about that. Also, it is too late for us to call the wager off -and pay up. Mischief's done now." - -"Why not make a clean breast of everything?" suggested Bob. "Say it was -a wager, and--" - -"A truth-telling stunt? That _would_ help a lot." Contemptuously. - -Dickie muttered: "Bonehead!" - -"I mean, you can say there wasn't any harm," said Bob desperately. "That -it was all open and innocent!" - -"Much good my saying that would do!" snorted Dan. "You don't know Mrs. -Dan." - -"Or Mrs. Clarence," said Clarence weakly. - -Bob hung his head. - -"We've thought of one little expedient that may help," observed Dan, -still speaking with difficulty. "While such influences as we could -summon are at work on the New York end, we've got to square matters -here. We've got to account for your--your--" here the commodore nearly -choked--"extraordinary revelations." - -"But how," said Bob patiently, "can you 'account' for them? I suppose -you mean to make me out a liar?" - -"Exactly," from the commodore coolly. - -"I don't mind," returned Bob wearily, "as long as it will help you out -and I'm not one. Only _I_ can't say those things aren't true." - -"You don't have to," said Dan succinctly. "There's an easier way than -that. No one would believe you, anyway, now." - -"That's true." Gloomily. - -"All we need," went on Dan, brightening a bit, "is your cooperation." - -"What can I do?" - -"You don't do anything. We do what is to be done. You just come along." - -"We take you into custody," interposed Clarence. - -"Lock you up!" exploded Dickie once more. "And a good job." - -"Lock me up?" Bob gazed at them, bewildered. Had the temperamental -little thing "peached," after all? Impossible! And yet if she hadn't, -how could Dan and Dickie and Clarence know he was a burglar--or rather, -that a combination of unlucky circumstances made him seem one? Perhaps -that kiss was a signal for them to step forward and take him. History -was full of such kisses. And yet he would have sworn she was not that -kind. - -"You're to come along without making a fuss," said the commodore -significantly. - -"But I don't want to come along. This is going too far," remonstrated -Bob. "I've a decided objection to being locked up as a burglar." - -"Burglar!" exclaimed Dan. - -"Don't know how you found out! Appearances may be against me, but," -stopping in the road, "if you want me to go along, you've got to make -me." - -The trio looked at one another. "Maybe, he really is--" suggested -Dickie, touching his forehead. - -"Too much truth!" said Clarence with a sneer. "Feel half that way, -myself!" - -"Would be all the better for us, if it were really so," observed Dan. -And to Bob: "You think that we think you're a burglar?" - -"Don't you? Didn't you say something about locking me up?" - -"But not in a jail." - -Bob stared. "What then?" - -"A sanatorium." - -"Sanatorium?" - -"For the insane." - -"You mean--?" - -"You're crazy," said Dan. "That's the ticket. Dickie found out, up at -Mrs. Ralston's." - -"Oh, Dickie did?" said Bob, looking at that young gentleman with -lowering brows. - -"You bet I did," returned Dickie. "I put in a good day," viciously, -"while you were fishing." - -"Yes," corroborated the commodore, "Dickie found a dozen people who -think you're dottie on the crumpet, all right." - -Bob folded his arms, still regarding Dickie. "You know what I've a mind -to do to you?" - -"Hold on!" said Dan hastily. "This matter's got to be handled tactfully. -We can't, any one of us, give way to our personal feelings, however much -we may want to. Let's be businesslike. Eh, Clarence? Businesslike." - -"Sure," said Clarence faintly. - -But Dickie, standing behind the commodore and Clarence, said something -about tact being a waste of time in some cases. He said it in such a -sneering nasty way that Bob breathed deep. - -"I've simply got to spank that little rooster," he muttered. - -But again the commodore smoothed things over. "Shut up, Dickie," he said -angrily. "You'll spoil all. I'm sure Bob wants to help us out, if he -can. He knows it's really up to him, to do so. Bob's a good sport." It -was an awful effort for the commodore to appear nice and amiable, but he -managed to, for the moment. "You will help us out, won't you?" he added, -placing velvety fingers on Bob's arm. - -But Bob with a vigorous swing shook off those fingers. He didn't intend -being taken into custody. Dan and the others might as well understand -that, first as last. The commodore's voice grew more appealing. - -"Don't you see you're being crazy will account for everything?" - -"Oh, will it?" In a still small voice. - -"Miss Gwendoline asked me if you'd showed signs before coming down -here?" piped up Dickie. And again Bob breathed deep. Then his thoughts -floated away. Dickie was too insignificant to bother with. - -"Hallucinations!" observed the commodore briskly. "Fits you to a T!" - -Bob didn't answer. He was trying to think if _she_--Miss -Gwendoline--hadn't said something about hallucinations? - -"You simply imagined all those things you confided to Mrs. Dan. You -didn't mean to tell what wasn't so, but you couldn't help yourself. You -really believed it all, at the time. You are irresponsible." - -"Maybe you'll tell me next there isn't any Gee-gee," said Bob. "Also, -that Miss Gid-up is but an empty coinage of the brain?" - -"No, we'll do better than that. The existence of a Gee-gee accounts, in -part, for your condition. First stage, Gee-gee on the brain; then, -brain-storm! Gee-gee is part of your obsession!" - -"You talk, think and dream of Gee-gee," interposed Clarence. "We've got -it all doped out. You are madly jealous. You imagine every man is in -love with her. You even attribute to Dan here, ulterior motives." - -"I mentioned to Miss Gerald, privately, that a certain very fascinating -but nameless young show-girl might be your trouble," said Dickie. - -Again Bob did a few deep-breathing exercises, and again he managed to -conquer himself. - -"Don't you see we've simply got to lock you up?" said the commodore. -"You're a menace to the community; you're a happy home-breaker. You may -do something desperate." - -"I might," said Bob, looking the commodore in the eye. - -Dan overlooked any covert meaning. "We take your case in time," he went -on. "You go into an institution, stay a week, or two--or shall we say, -three," insinuatingly, "and you come out cured." - -"Wouldn't that be nice?" said Bob. They were going to put truth in a -crazy-house. That's what it amounted to. "But how about Gid-up? Did I -have an obsession about her, too?" - -"Oh, as Gee-gee's chum she is part of the brainstorm and that drags poor -old Clarence in,--Clarence who is as ignorant of the existence of Gid-up -as I am of Gee-gee." - -"And that's the truth," said Clarence stoutly. - -Bob laughed. He couldn't help it. Perhaps many of the people in jails -and crazy-houses were only poor misguided mortals who had gone wrong -looking for truth. Maybe some of them had met with that other kind of -truth (Dan's kind and Clarence's kind) and they hadn't the proper vision -to see it was the truth (that is, the world's truth). - -"Got it fixed all right," went on the commodore. "Doc, up there at the -house, has written a letter to the head of an eminently respectable -institution, for eminently respectable private patients. It's not far -away and the head is a friend of Doc's. Dickie saw to the details. It's -a good place. Kind gentle attendants; nourishing food. Isn't that what -the Doc said, Dickie?" - -"I guess the food won't hurt _him_" said Dickie, regarding Bob. Maybe, -Dickie wouldn't have minded if Bob had had an attack, or two, of -indigestion. - -"Doc says they're especially humane to the violent," continued the -commodore, unmindful of Bob's ominous silence. It seemed as if Dan was -talking to gain time, for he looked around where the bushes cast dark -shadows, as if to locate some spot. "None of that slugging or -straight-jacket business! Doc talked it over with the judge and some of -the others. Judge said he'd committed a lot of people who hadn't acted -half as crazy as you have. You see Dickie had to take him into his -confidence a little bit and the Doc, too. Doc diagnosed your breakdown -as caused by drugs and alcohol." - -"So you made me out a dipsomaniac?" observed Bob. - -"What else was there to do? Didn't you bring it on yourself?" - -Dan now stopped, not far from a clump of bushes. Down the road stood a -stalled motor-car vaguely distinguishable in the dusk. Its occupant, or -occupants had apparently gone to telephone for help. - -"You bet I made you out a 'dippy,'" said Dickie with much satisfaction. - -A white light shone from Bob's eyes. Then he shrugged his broad -shoulders. - -"Good night," he said curtly and turned to go. - -But at that instant the commodore emitted a low whistle and two men -sprang out of the bushes. At the same moment the trio precipitated -themselves, also, on Bob. It was a large load. He "landed" one or two on -somebody and got one or two in return himself. Dickie rather forgot -himself in the excitement of the moment and was unnecessarily forceful, -considering the odds. But Bob was big and husky and for a little while -he kept them all busy. His football training came in handy. Numbers, -however, finally prevailed, and though he heaved and struggled, he had -to go down. Then they sat on him, distributing themselves variously over -his anatomy. - -"Thought I was giving you that charming little chat, just for the -pleasure of your company, did you?" panted the commodore, from somewhere -about the upper part of Bob? "Why, I was just leading you here." - -"And he came like a lamb!" said Clarence, holding an arm. - -"Or a big boob!" from Dickie, who had charge of a leg. - -Bob gave a kick and it caught Dickie. The little man went bowling down -the road like a ten-pin. But after that, there wasn't much kick left in -Bob. They tied him tight and bore him (or truth, trussed like a fowl), -to the car. Some of them got in to keep him company. There wasn't -anything the matter with the car. It could speed up to about sixty, or -seventy, at a pinch. It went "like sixty" now. - -"If he tries to raise a hullabaloo, toot your horn," said the commodore, -when he got his breath, to the driver. "At the same time I'll wave my -hat and act like a cut-up. Then they'll only take us for a party of -fuzzled joy-riders." - -"I don't think he'll make much noise now," shouted Dickie significantly, -from behind. "We'll jolly well see to that." - -"How long will it take you to make the bug-house?" the commodore asked -the man at the wheel. - -"We should reach the private sanatorium in less than an hour," answered -that individual. - - - - - CHAPTER XIII--AN ENFORCED REST CURE - - -They kept him two days in the padded room on Dickie's recommendation, -who made Bob out as highly dangerous. "Powerful and vicious," he -described him to the suave individual in charge of the "sanatorium." -That particular apartment was somewhat remote from the other rooms, so -that any noises made by the inmate of the former wouldn't disturb the -others. Becoming more reconciled to the inevitable, Bob found the quiet -of the padded room rather soothing to his shaken nerves. He didn't have -to talk to hardly a soul. Only an attendant came around once in a while -to shove cautiously something edible at him, but the attendant didn't -ask any questions and Bob didn't have to tell him any truths. It was a -joyful relief not to have to tell truths. - -Bob's eye was swollen and he had a few bruises, but they didn't count. -He had observed with satisfaction that Dickie's lip had an abrasion and -that one of his front teeth seemed missing. Dickie would have to wait -until nature and art had repaired his appearance before he could once -more a-wooing go. Bob didn't want the temperamental young thing himself, -but he couldn't conscientiously wish Dickie success in that quarter, -after the unnecessarily rough and unsportsmanlike manner in which Dickie -had comported himself against him (Bob). - -At first, it had occurred to Bob to take the attendant--and through him, -the manager of the institution--into his confidence, but for two reasons -he changed his mind about doing so. The attendant would probably receive -Bob's confidence as so many illusions; he would smile and say -"Yes--quite so!" or "There! there!"--meaning Bob would get over said -illusions some day, and that was why he was there. He was being treated -for them. Again, if he unbosomed himself fully, as to the fundamental -cause of all this trouble and turmoil, he would lose to the commodore, -et al., and have to pay that note which he didn't very well see how he -could pay. - -Bob gritted his teeth. Would it not be better to win now to spite them -and in spite of everything? About the worst that could happen, had -happened. Why not accept, then, this enforced sojourn philosophically -and when the time came, he would walk up to the captain's (or -commodore's) office and demand a little pay-envelope as his hard-earned -wage? There would be a slight balm in that pay-envelope. With the -contents thereof, he could relieve some of dad's necessities which soon -would be pressing. Why not, with a little stretch of the imagination, -tell himself he (Bob) was only taking a rest cure? People paid big -prices for a fashionable rest cure. They probably charged pretty stiff -prices here, but it wouldn't cost him a cent. His dear friends who put -him here would have to pay. He wasn't a voluntary boarder. They would -have to vouch for him and his bills. So Bob made up his mind to have as -good a time as he could; in other words, to grin and bear it, as best he -might. - -It was a novel experience. Maybe he might write an article about it for -one of the Sunday newspapers some day--"How It Feels for a Sane Person -to be Forcibly Detained in an Insane Asylum, by One who Has Been There." -The editor could put all manner of gay and giddy head-lines over such an -experience. Bob tried to chronicle his feelings in the padded cell, but -he couldn't conjure up anything awful or harrowing. There weren't -spiders, or rats, or any crawly things to lend picturesqueness to the -situation. It was only deadly quiet--the kind of quiet he needed. - -He slept most of those first two days, making up for hours of lost -sleep. His swollen eye became less painful and his appetite grew large -and normal. He had to eat with his fingers because they were afraid to -trust him with a knife and fork, but he told himself cheerfully that -high-class Arabs still ate that way, and that all he had to do was to -sit cross-legged, to be strictly _comme il faut_--that is, from the -Arab's standpoint. Since he had adopted truth as his mentor, Bob had -learned, however, that "what should be" or "what shouldn't," or -"mustn't," depends a great deal upon the standpoint, and he was -beginning to be very suspicious, or critical, about the standpoint. - -The third day the doctor in charge thought he could trust him in a room -without pads. Bob had a good color, his eye was clear and his appearance -generally reassuring, so they gave him now the cutest little cubby-hole, -with a cunning little bed and a dear little window, with flowers outside -and iron bars between the inmate and the flowers. The managing-medico -proudly called Bob's attention to the flowers and the view. One gazing -out could see miles and miles of beautiful country. The managing-med. -talked so much about that view that Bob chimed in and said it was -lovely, too, only, it reminded him of the bone set just beyond reach of -a dog chained to _his_ cute little cubby-hole; or the jug of water and -choice viands the Bedouins of the desert set before their victim after -they have buried him to the neck in the sand. Bob was going on, trying -to think of other felicitous comparisons, when he caught a look in the -managing-med's. eye that stopped him. - -"I wonder if you are well enough, after all, to appreciate this cozy and -home-like little apartment?" said the med. musingly. - -Bob hastily apologized for the figures of speech. The padded place was -very restful, no doubt, but he was quite rested now. Any more -padded-room kind of rest would be too much. He looked at the view and -expatiated upon it, even calling attention to certain charming details -of the landscape. The flowers made a charming touch of color and they -were just the kind of flowers he liked--good, old-fashioned geraniums! -He could say all this and still tell the truth. The medico studied him -attentively; then he concluded he would risk it and permit Bob to stay -in the room. - -But he didn't stay there long. Several nights later a pebble clicked -against his window; at first, he did not notice. The sound was repeated. -Then Bob got up, went to his window, raised it noiselessly and looked -out. In the shadow, beneath the window, stood a figure. - -"Catch," whispered a voice and instinctively Bob put out his hand. But -he didn't catch; he missed. Again and again some one below tossed -something until finally he did catch. He looked at the object--a spool -of thread. Now what on earth did he want with a spool of thread? Did the -person below think some of his garments needed mending? It was strong, -serviceable enough thread. - -For some moments Bob cogitated, then going to the bureau, he picked up a -tooth-brush, tied it to the thread, and let it down. After an interval -he pulled up the thread; the tooth-brush had disappeared and a file was -there in its stead. Then Bob tied to the thread something else and -instead of it, he got back the end of an excellent manila rope. After -that he went to work. It took Bob about an hour to get those bars out; -it took him, then, about a minute to get out himself. Fortunately some -one in a near-by room was having a tantrum and the little rasping sound -of the filing couldn't be heard. The louder the person yelled, the -harder Bob filed. - -When he reached the earth some one extended a hand and led him silently -out of the garden and into the road beyond. Bob went along meekly and -obediently. Not far down the road was a taxicab. Bob got in and his fair -rescuer followed. So far he hadn't said a word to her; language seemed -superfluous. But as they dashed away, she murmured: - -"Isn't it lovely?"' - -"Is it?" he asked. Somehow he wasn't feeling particularly jubilant over -his escape. In fact, he found himself wondering almost as soon as he had -reached the earth, if it wouldn't have been wiser, after all, to have -spent the rest of those three weeks in pleasant seclusion. The presence -of the temperamental young thing suggested new and more perplexing -problems perhaps. He had regarded her as somewhat of a joke, but she -wasn't a joke just now; she was a reality. What was he going to do with -her, and with himself, for that matter? Why were they dashing madly -across the country like that together? - -It was as if he were carrying her off, and he certainly didn't want to -do that. He wasn't in love with her, and she wasn't with him. At least, -he didn't think she was. It was only her temperamental disposition that -caused her to imagine she was in love, because she thought him something -that he wasn't. And when she found out he wasn't, but was only a plain, -ordinary young man, not of much account anyhow, what a shock would be -the awakening! Perhaps he'd better stop the machine, go back into the -garden, climb up to his room in the crazy-house and tumble into bed? His -being here, embarked on a preposterous journey, seemed a case of leaping -before looking, or thinking. - -"Why so quiet, darling?" giggled the temperamental young thing, -snuggling closer. - -"Don't call me that. I--I won't stand it." - -"All right, dearie." With another giggle. - -"And drop that 'dearie' dope, too," he commanded. - -"Just as you say. Only what _shall_ I call you?" - -"I guess plain 'darn fool' will do." - -"Oh, you're too clever to be called that," she expostulated. - -"Me, clever?" Scornfully. - -"Yes; think how long you have fooled the police." - -"I wish you wouldn't talk such nonsense." Irritably. - -"I won't. On condition!" - -"What?" - -"If you'll put your arm around me." - -"I won't." - -"Oh, yes, you will." She adjusted it for him. - -"All right! If you want some one to hug you when he doesn't want to!" he -said in aggrieved tones. - -"That makes it all the nicer," she returned. "There are ever so many men -that want to. This--this is so different!" With a sigh. - -"There you go, with some more nonsense talk!" grumbled Bob. - -"Well," she giggled, "there's always a way to make a poor, weak, -helpless little thing stop talking." - -"Of all the assurance!" he gasped. - -"I love to have some one I can command to make love to me." - -"I'm going back." Disgustedly. - -"Oh, no, you're not. You can't." - -"Why?" - -"You'd be arrested, if you did. They are coming for you. That's why I -came--to circumvent them!" - -"They?" - -"All has been discovered." - -"I fail to understand." - -"What did you do with it?" she countered. - -"It?" - -"The swag." - -Bob started to withdraw his arm but she clapped a small warm hand on his -big warm hand and held his strong right arm about her slim, adaptable -waist. Her head trailed on his shoulder, while she started floating off -in dreamland. - -"I just love eloping," she murmured. - -"What was that last word?" he observed combatively. - -"Elope! elope! elope!" she whispered dreamily, her slim, young feminine -figure close to his big masculine bulk. - -"So you think you're eloping with me?" said Bob ominously. - -"I know I am." In that musical die-away tone. "We're headed straight for -old New York and we're going to get married in the little church around -the corner. Then"--with a happy laugh--"we may have to disguise -ourselves and flee." - -"May I kindly inquire--that is, if I have any voice in our future -operations--_why_ we may have to disguise ourselves?" - -"In case they should want to capture you. The police, I mean." - -"Police?" he said. - -"Didn't I just tell you they were coming for you?" - -"Indeed?" He looked down in her eyes to see if she was in earnest. He -believed she was. "For what?" - -"Oh, you know." She raised her lips. "Say, that was a real stingy one, -under the oak." - -"You say all has been discovered?" went on Bob, disregarding her last -remark. - -"I say that was a real stingy--" - -"Hang it!" But he had to. He knew he had to get that idea out of her -head, before he could get any more real information from her. - -"And think how you deceived poor little me, about it!" she purred -contentedly. After all, thought Bob, it didn't take "much of a one" to -satisfy her. She had only wanted "it," perhaps, because "it" fitted in; -"it" went with eloping. Perhaps "it" would have to happen about once so -often. Bob hoped not. She was a dainty little tyrant who let him see -plainly she had sharp claws. She could scratch as well as purr. Somehow, -he felt that he was doubly in her power--that he was doubly her slave -now--that something had happened which made him so. He could not imagine -what it was. - -"They're keeping it very quiet, though," she went on. "The robbery, I -mean!" - -"There has been a robbery at Mrs. Ralston's?" - -"Of course. And you didn't know a thing about it?" she mocked him. - -"I certainly did not." - -"You say that just as if it were so," she observed admiringly. "I don't -suppose you are aware that some one did really substitute a counterfeit -brooch for Mrs. Vanderpool's wonderful pink pearl and bronze diamond -brooch, after all? Oh, no, you don't know that. You're only a poor -little ignorant dear. Bless its innocent little heart! It didn't know a -thing. Not it!" She was talking baby-talk now, the while her fingers -were playing with Bob's ear. He was so interested in what she was -saying, however, that he failed to note the baby-talk and overlooked the -liberties she was taking with his hearing apparatus. - -"By jove!" he exclaimed. "That accounts for what I thought I saw in the -hall that night when I left your room. Imagined I saw some one! Believe -now it was some one, after all. And that door I heard click? Whose door -is that on the other side of the hall from your room and about -twenty-five feet nearer the landing?" Excitedly. - -"Gwendoline Gerald's," was the unexpected answer. - -Bob caught his breath. He was becoming bewildered. "But nothing was -missing from Miss Gerald's room, was there?" he asked. - -"Don't _you_ know?" said she. - -"I do not." - -"My! aren't you the beautiful fibber! I'm wondering if you ever tell the -truth?" - -"I don't tell anything else." Indignantly. "And that's the trouble." - -"And how well you stick to it!" Admiringly. "If you tell such ones -_before_, how will it be _after_?" - -"After what?" he demanded. - -"The church ceremony," she giggled. - -"Don't you worry about that. There isn't going to be any." - -"It's perfectly lovely of you to say there isn't. It will be such fun to -see you change your mind." She spoke in that regular on-to-Washington -tone. "I can just see you walking up the aisle. Won't you look handsome? -And poor, demure little me! I shan't look like hardly anything." - -Bob pretended not to hear. - -"You say they are keeping it very quiet about the robbery at the Ralston -house. How, then, did you come to know?" - -"Eavesdropping." Shamelessly. "Thought it was necessary you should know -the 'lay of the land.' But never mind the 'how.' It is sufficient that I -managed to overhear Lord Stanfield say he was going to send for you. -Gwendoline Gerald knows about the robbery and so does her aunt and Lord -Stanfield, but it's being kept from all the other guests for the -present. Even Mrs. Vanderpool doesn't know. She still thinks the brooch -she is wearing is the real one, poor dear! Lord Stanfield discovered it -wasn't. He asked her one day to let him see it. Then, he just said: 'Aw! -How interesting!'--that is, to her. But to Mrs. Ralston he said it was -an imitation and that some guest had substituted the false brooch for -the real. Mrs. Vanderpool is not to know because Lord Stanfield says the -thief must not dream he is suspected. He wants to give him full swing -yet a while--'enough rope to hang himself with,' were the words he used. -It seems Lord Stanfield anticipated things would be missing. He said he -knew when a certain person--he didn't say whom"--gazing up at Bob -adoringly--"appeared on the scene, things just went. That's why Lord -Stanfield got asked to the Ralston house. Then when he said he was -coming after you, I thought it would be such a joke if you weren't there -to receive him. And that's why I came to elope with you. And isn't it -all too romantic for anything? I am sure none of those plays comes up to -it. Maybe you'll dramatize our little romance some day--that is--" - -Miss Dolly suddenly stopped. "Isn't that a car coming up behind?" - -Bob looked around, too, and in the far distance saw a light. "Believe it -is," he answered. - -She leaned forward and spoke to the driver. They were traveling with -only one lamp lighted; the driver now put that out. Then he went on -until he came to a private roadway, leading into some one's estate, when -quickly turning, he ran along a short distance and finally stopped the -car in a dark shaded spot. Bob gazed back and in a short time saw a big -car whir by. Idly he wondered whether it contained the police, or the -managing medico and some of his staff. Between them, he was promised a -right lively time--altogether too lively. He wondered which ones would -get him first? It was a kind of a competition and he would be first -prize to the winners. Well, it was well to have the enemy--or half of -the enemy--in front of him. Of course, the other half might come up any -moment behind. He would have to take that chance, he thought, as they -now returned to the highway. Meanwhile Miss Dolly's eyes were bright -with excitement. She was enjoying herself very much. - - - - - CHAPTER XIV--MUTINY - - -They resumed the conversation where they had left off. - -"It seems to me," said Bob, "from all you say, that monocle-man has been -a mighty busy person." - -"Of course you knew right along what he is. You didn't need any -information from poor little me about him. He couldn't fool great big -You!" she affirmed admiringly. - -"I can imagine what he is--now," observed Bob meditatively. He was -turning over in his mind what she had said about that substituted -brooch. The some one Bob had imagined he had seen in the hall, after -leaving Miss Dolly's room, might not have been the real thief, after -all; it might have been the monocle-man on the lookout for the thief. -And perhaps the monocle-man had seen Bob. That was the reason he was -"coming for him." Bob could imagine dear old dad's feelings, if he (Bob) -got sent to Sing Sing. What if, instead of rustling and rising to the -occasion, in that fine, old honorable Japanese way, Bob should bring -irretrievable disgrace on an eminently respectable family name? - -He could see himself in stripes now, with his head shaved, and doing the -lock-step. Perhaps, even at that moment, descriptions of him were being -sent broadcast. And if so, it would look as if he were running away from -the officers of the law, which would be tantamount to a confession of -guilt. Bob shivered. The temperamental young thing did not share his -apprehensions. - -"Of course, Lord Stanfield only _thinks_ he has evidence enough to -convict you," she said confidently. "But you'll meet him at every point -and turn the laugh on him." - -"Oh, will I?" said Bob ironically. - -"And you'll make him feel so cheap! Of course, you've got something up -your sleeve--" - -"Wish I had," he muttered. - -"Something deep and mysterious," she went on in that confident tone. -"That's why you acted so queer toward some people. You had a purpose. It -was a ruse. Wasn't it now?" she concluded triumphantly. - -"It was not." Gruffly. - -"Fibber! every time you fib, you've got to--" She put up her lips. - -"This is getting monotonous," grumbled Bob. - -"On the contrary!" breathed the temperamental young thing. "I find it -lovely. Maybe you'll learn how sometime." - -"Don't want to," he snapped. - -"Oh, yes, you do. But as I was saying, you got yourself put in that -sanatorium to mislead everybody. It, too, was a ruse--a part of the -game. It's all very clear--at least, to me!" - -He stared at her. And she called _that_ clear? "When did you leave Mrs. -Ralston's?" he demanded. - -"About three hours ago. Said I'd a headache and believed I'd go to my -room. But I didn't. I just slipped down to the village and hired a taxi. -Maybe we'd better keep our marriage a secret, at first." Irrelevantly. - -"Maybe we had," answered Bob. And then he called out to the man in -front. "Stop a moment." - -Before Miss Dolly had time to expostulate, the driver obeyed. Bob sprang -out. - -"You aren't going to leave me, are you?" said the temperamental little -thing. "If so--" She made as if to get out, too. - -"No; I'm not going to leave you just yet," answered Bob. Then to the -driver: "See here! Your blamed machine is turned in the wrong direction. -You know where you're going to take us?" - -"New York." - -"No; back to Mrs. Ralston's. You take the first cross-road you come to -and steer right for there." - -"You're not to do any such thing," called out Miss Dolly. "You're to go -where _I_ tell you." - -"You're to do nothing of the sort," said Bob. "You're to go where _I_ -tell you." - -The driver scratched his head. - -"Which is it to be?" asked Bob. "This is the place to have an -understanding." - -"The lady hired me," he answered. - -"Yes, and I won't pay you at all, if you don't mind," said Miss Dolly in -firm musical accents. - -"Guess that settles it," observed the driver. - -"You mean--?" began Bob, eying him. - -"It means I obey orders. She's my 'fare,' not you. We just picked you -up." - -"And that's your last word?" Ominously. - -"Say, lady"--the driver turned wearily--"have I got to suppress this -crazy man you got out of the bughouse?" - -"Maybe that would be a good plan," answered Miss Dolly, militancy now in -her tone. "That is, if he doesn't get in, just sweet and quiet-like." - -"It'll be twenty dollars extra," said the man, rising. He was a big -fellow, too. - -"Make it thirty," returned Miss Dolly spiritedly. It was an issue and -had to be met. There was an accent of "On-to-Parliament!" in her voice. -One can't show too much mercy to a "slave" when he revolts. One has to -suppress him. One has to teach him who is mistress. A stern lesson, and -the slave learns and knows his place. - -"Now mind the lady and get back where you belong," said the driver -roughly to Bob. "Your tiles are loose, and the lady knows what is good -for a dingbat like you." Possibly he thought the display of a little -authority would be quite sufficient to intimidate a recent "patient." -They usually became quite mild, he had heard, when the keepers talked -right up to them, like that. The effect of his language and attitude -upon Bob was not, however, quieting; something seemed to explode in his -brain and he made one spring and got a football hold; then he heaved and -the big man shot over his shoulder as if propelled from a catapult. He -came down in a ditch, where the breath seemed to be knocked out of him. -Bob got on in front. As he started the machine, the man sat up and -looked after him. He didn't try to get up though; he just looked. No -doubt he had had the surprise of his life. - -"I'll leave the car in the village when I'm through with it," Bob called -back. "A little walk won't hurt you." - -The man didn't answer. "Gee! but that's a powerful lunatic for a poor -young lady to have on her hands!" he said to himself. - -An hour or so later Bob drew up in front of Mrs. Ralston's house. He -opened the door politely for Miss Dolly and the temperamental young -thing sprang out. The guests were still up, indulging in one of those -late dances that begin at the stroke of twelve, and the big house showed -lights everywhere. There were numerous other taxis and cars in front and -Bob's arrival attracted no particular attention. Miss Dolly gave him a -look, militant, but still adoring. She let him see she had claws. - -"Maybe I'll tell," she said. - -"Go ahead," he answered. - -"Aren't you afraid?" - -"No." He hadn't done anything wrong. - -"Aren't you even sorry?" she asked, lingering. - -"For what?" - -"Being so rough to that poor man?" - -"I'm not. Good night." - -"Good night--darling." She threw out that last word as a challenge. It -had a tender but sibilant sound. It was a mixture of a caress and a -scratch. It meant she hadn't given up her hold on him. He might have -defeated her in one little contest, but she would weave new ways to -entrap him. She might even manage to make him out a murderer--he had -been so many things since embarking on that mercurial truth-telling -career--and then she would give him the choice of the altar or the -chair. - -He started the machine and she watched him disappear, musingly. There -was a steely light, too, in her eyes. He was a mutineer and mutineers -should, figuratively, be made to walk the plank. Should she put him in -jail and then come and weep penitently? At least, it would be thrilling. -Certainly anything was better than that cast-off feeling. She felt no -better than cast-off clothes. This great big brute of a handsome man, -instead of jumping at the chance to elope with one who had everything to -offer such a one as he, had just turned around and brought her back -home. - -Maybe he thought she wasn't worthy of him. Oh, wasn't she? Her small -breast arose mutinously, while that cast-off sensation kept growing and -growing. After rescuing him and saving him, instead of calling her "his -beautiful doll" or other pet names, and humming glad songs to her--how -they would "row, row, row" on some beautiful river of love--or stroll, -stroll, stroll through pathways of perfume and bliss--instead of -regaling her with these and other up-to-date expressions, appropriate to -the occasion, he had repudiated her, cast her off, deposited her here on -the front steps, unceremoniously, carelessly, indifferently. - -Her cheeks burned at the affront. It was too humiliating. The little -hands closed. The temperamental fingernails bit into the tender palms. -At that moment the monocle-man sauntered out of the house and on to the -veranda, near where Miss Dolly was standing. She turned to him quickly. -Her temperament had about reached the Borgia pitch. - - * * * * * - -Bob went on down to the village and to the taxi stand near the station -where he had promised to leave the machine. The last train had just -passed by, after depositing the last of late-comers from the gay -metropolis. Most of them looked fagged; a few were mildly "corned." Bob -regarded them absently and then gave a violent start. - -"Gee-gee!" he gasped. - -There she was, in truth, the beauteous Gee-gee, and the fair Gid-up, -too! Bob gazed in consternation from reddish hair to peroxide. The two -carried grips and were dressed in their best--that is to say, each wore -the last thing in hats and the final gasp in gowns. - -"Guess none of those society dames will have a thing on us, when it -comes to rags," Gid-up murmured to Gee-gee, as they crossed the platform -with little teeny-weeny steps and headed toward a belated hack or two -and Bob's machine. That young man yet sat on the driver's seat of the -taxi; he was too paralyzed to move as he watched them approach. Where on -earth were Gee-gee and Gid-up going? He feared to learn. He had an awful -suspicion. - -"Chauffeur!" Gee-gee raised a begloved finger as she hailed Bob. The -glove had seen better days, but Gee-gee didn't bother much about gloves. -When she had attained the finality in hats and the _ne plus ultra_ in -skirts, hosiery and stilts (you asked for "shoes") she hadn't much time, -or cash, left for gloves which were always about the same old thing over -and over again, anyway. "Chauffeur!" repeated Gee-gee. - -"Meaning me?" inquired Bob in muffled tones. Why didn't she take a hack? -He had drawn up his taxi toward the dark end of the platform. - -"Yes, meaning you!" replied Gee-gee sharply. "Can't say I see any other -human spark-plug in this one-night burg." - -"What can I do for you?" stammered Bob. He was glad it was so shadowy -where he sat, and he devoutly hoped he would escape recognition. - -"What can he do? Did you hear that?" Gee-gee appealed indignantly to -Gid-up. "I don't suppose a great jink like you knows enough to get down -and take a lady's bag? Or, to open the door of the limousine?" - -"Well, you see this machine's engaged," mumbled Bob. "No, I don't mean -that." Hastily. "I mean I'm not the driver of this car. It doesn't -belong to me. And that's the truth." - -"Where is the driver?" Haughtily. "Send for him at once." Gee-gee did -not like to be crossed. Gid-up was more good-natured; she only shifted -her gum. - -"I can't send for him," said Bob drawing his hat down farther over his -face. "He's down the road." - -"What's he doing there?" - -"I don't know. Maybe, he's walking; maybe, he's sitting in the ditch." - -Gee-gee stared, but she could see only a big shadowy form; she couldn't -make out Bob's features. "The boob's got bees," she confided to Gid-up, -and then more imperatively: "Are you going to get off your perch and let -us in?" - -"Beg to be excused," muttered Bob. "Hack over there! Quick! Before some -one else gets it." - -That started them away. The teeny-weeny steps encompassed, accelerando, -the distance between Bob and his old friend, the hackman who had laughed -at what he supposed were Bob's eccentricities. The hackman got down and -hoisted in the grips. - -"Where to?" he said. - -Bob listened expectantly. He feared what was coming. - -"Mrs. Ralston's," answered Gee-gee haughtily. At the same time Gid-up -threw away her gum. She would have to practise being without it. - -Bob drearily watched the hack roll away. He refused another offer of a -fare--this time from a bibulous individual who had supped, not wisely, -but too well--and nearly got into a fight because the bibulous -individual was persistent and discursive. Then Bob walked away; he -didn't think where he was going; he only wanted to get away from that -chauffeur job. What would come of these new developments, he wondered? -The temperamental young thing was "peeved," and the ponies (not equine) -had come galloping into the scene at the critical moment. - -He tried to account for their presence. Undoubtedly it was a coup of -Mrs. Dan's. When she learned that dear Dan was bringing -counter-influence to bear upon her witnesses, she arranged to remove -them. She brought them right into her own camp. How? Gee-gee and Gid-up -did a really clever and fairly refined musical and dancing act together. -Mrs. Ralston frequently called upon professional talent to help her out -in the entertaining line. It is true, Gee-gee and Gid-up were hardly -"high enough up," or well enough known, to commend themselves ordinarily -to the good hostess in search of the best and most expensive artists, -but then Mrs. Dan may have brought influence to bear upon Mrs. Ralston. -And Mrs. Clarence may have seconded Mrs. Dan's efforts. They may have -said Gee-gee and Gid-up were dashing and different, and would be, at -least, a change. They may have exaggerated the talents of the pair and -pictured them as rising stars whom it would be a credit for Mrs. Ralston -to discover. The hostess was extremely good-natured and liked to oblige -her friends, or to comply with their requests. - -Of course, the young ladies would not appear on the scene as Gee-gee and -Gid-up, in all probability. No doubt, they would assume other and more -appropriate cognomens (non equine). The last show they had played in, -had just closed, so a little society engagement, with strong publicity -possibilities, on the side, could not be anything but appealing, -especially to Gee-gee with her practical tendencies. Of course, they -would have to make a brave effort to put on their society manners, but -Gid-up had once had a home and Gee-gee knew how people talked in the -society novels. Trust Gee-gee to adapt herself! - -Bob felt he could figure it all out. Their coming so late would seem to -indicate they had been sent for in haste. Mrs. Dan, perhaps, had become -alarmed and wasn't going to take any more chances with the commodore who -was capable of sequestering her witnesses, of inveigling them on board -one of his friend's yachts, for example, and then marooning them on a -desert isle, or transporting them to one of those cafe chantants of -Paris. Besides, with that after-midnight "hug" and "grizzly" going on, -Mrs. Dan knew it wouldn't much matter how late the pair arrived. - -By the time Bob had argued this out, he was a long way from the village. -He had been walking mechanically toward the Ralston house and now found -himself on the verge of the grounds. After a moment's hesitation, he -went in and walked up to the house. The dancing had, at length, ceased -and the big edifice was now almost dark. The inmates, or most of them, -seemed to have retired. A few of the men might yet be lingering in the -smoking-room or over billiards. For a minute or two Bob stood in silent -meditation. Then his glance swept toward a certain trellis, and a sudden -thought smote him. - -Wasn't he still Mrs. Ralston's guest? The period for which he had been -invited hadn't expired and he hadn't, as yet, been asked to vacate the -premises. True, some people had forcibly, and in a most highhanded -manner, removed him for a brief period, but they had not been acting for -Mrs. Ralston, or by her orders. He was, therefore, legitimately still a -guest and it was obviously his duty not to waive the responsibility. He -might not want to come back but he had to. That even-tenor-of-his-way -condition demanded it. Besides, manhood revolted against retreat under -fire. To run away, as he had told himself in the car with Miss Dolly, -was a confession of guilt. He must face them once more--even Miss Gerald -and the hammer-thrower. He could in fancy, see himself handcuffed in her -presence, but he couldn't help it. Better that, than to be hunted in the -byways and hovels of New York! Oddly, too, the idea of a big comfortable -bed appealed to him. - -He climbed up the trellis and stood on the balcony upon which his room -opened. Pushing up a window, he entered and feeling around in the -darkness he came upon his grip where he had left it. He drew the -curtains, turned on the lights and undressed. He acted just as if -nothing had happened. Then, donning his pajamas, he turned out the -lights, drew back the curtains once more, and tumbled into the downy. - - - - - CHAPTER XV--AN EXTRAORDINARY INTERVIEW - - -But he could not sleep; his brain was too busy. He wondered in what part -of the house Gee-gee and Gid-up were domiciled? He wondered if Mrs. Dan -and Mrs. Clarence were drawing up affidavits? He wondered if that -taxicab man had yet come to town and if he would get out a warrant, -charging him (Bob) with assault? He wondered if Dan and Clarence knew -Gee-gee and Gid-up were here, and if so, what would they do about it? -Would they, too, come prancing on the scene? He wondered if Miss Gerald -were engaged to the hammer-man? He wondered if the maniac-medico would -think of looking for him (Bob) here? He wondered where the police were -looking for him and who was the thief, anyway? This last mental query -led him to consider the guests, one by one. - -He began with the bishop. Suspicion, of course, could not point in that -direction. Still, there was that play, _Deacon Brodie_--a very good man -was a thief in it. But a deacon wasn't a bishop. Besides, Bob had great -respect for the cloth. He dismissed the bishop with an inward apology. -He next considered the judge, but the judge was too portly for those -agile sleight-of-hand feats and the deft foot-work required. He passed -on to the doctor. The doctor had delicate little hands, adapted for -filching work, but he was too much absorbed in cutting up little dogs -and cats to care for such insensible trifles as glittering gee-gaws. The -doctor might be capable of absconding with a Fido or somebody's pet -Meow, but an inanimate Kooh-i-nor would hold for him no temptations. So -from Doc, Bob passed on to Mrs. Van. But she wouldn't surreptitiously -appropriate her own brooch. He even considered the temperamental young -thing whose interest in crime and criminals was really shocking. - -He had got about this far in thrashing things over in his mind when a -rather startling realization that he wasn't alone in the room smote him. -Some one was over there--at the window, and that some one had softly -crossed the room. Bob made an involuntary movement, turning in bed to -see plainer, when with a slight sound of suppressed surprise, the some -one almost magically disappeared. Bob couldn't tell whether he had gone -out of the window, or had sprung back into the room and was now -concealing himself behind the heavy curtains. The young man made a -sudden rush for the window and grab for the curtain, only to discover -there was no one there; nor could he see any one on the balcony, or -climbing down. He did see below, however, a skulking figure fast -vanishing among the shrubbery. A moment, the thought of the commodore -insinuated itself in the young man's bewildered brain, but the commodore -would not again be trying to see him (Bob) here, for the very good -reason that Dan could not know Bob was here. No one yet knew Bob had -returned to Mrs. Ralston's house. The commodore and Clarence no doubt -still believed Bob to be shut up in a cute little cubby-hole with bars. - -The skulking figure below, then, could be dissociated from the -complicated domestic tangle; his proper place was in that other silent -drama, dealing with mysterious peculations. Should Bob climb down, -follow and attempt to capture him? Bob had on only his pajamas and -already the fellow was far away. He would lead any one a fine chase and -Bob hadn't any special desire to go romping over hills in his present -attire, or want of attire. If any one caught him doing it, what excuse -could he make? That he was chasing an accomplice of a thief inside the -house who had probably dropped his glittering booty for his pal to take -away? But he (Bob) was supposed to be that inside-operator, himself, and -he wouldn't be chasing his own pal. Or again, if he were detected in -that sprinting performance by those who didn't know he was supposed to -be an inside-operator, but who thought him only a plain crazy man, -wouldn't the necessity for his reincarceration be but emphasized? Maybe -this latter contingent of his enemies would consider a plain, public -insane asylum, without flowers in the window, good enough for him. They, -undoubtedly, _would_ so conclude if they knew the state of Bob's private -fortune, which certainly did not justify private institutions. - -A slight noise behind him drove all these considerations from Bob's -mind. He dove at once in the direction of the sound, only to fall over -his grip, and as he sprawled, not heroically, in the dark, his door was -opened and closed almost noiselessly. Exasperated, he gathered himself -together and made for the door. Throwing it back, he gazed down the -hall, only to see a figure swiftly vanishing around a dimly-lighted -corner. Bob couldn't make out whether it was a man or a woman, but -seeing no one else in the hall, he impetuously and recklessly darted -after it. When he reached the corner, however, the figure was gone. - -Bob stood in a quandary. There were a good many different doors around -that corner. Through which one had his mysterious visitor vanished? If -he but knew, he felt certain he could place his hand on the much wanted -individual who was making such a nuisance of himself in social circles. -He might be able to rid society of one of those essentially modern -pests, and at the same time lift the mantle of suspicion from himself. -At least, he would be partly rehabilitated. Later, he might complete the -process. And oh, to have her once more see him as he was. - -He was sorely tempted to try a door. He even put his hand on the knob of -the door nearest the corner. The figure must have turned in here; he -couldn't have gone farther without Bob's having caught sight of him. At -least, Bob felt almost sure of this conclusion, having attained that -corner with considerable celerity, himself. - -Almost on the point of turning the knob, prudence bade Bob to pause. -Suppose he made a mistake? Suppose, for example, he stumbled upon -Gee-gee's room, or Gid-up's? The perspiration started on Bob's brow. -Gee-gee would be quite capable of hanging on to him and then raising a -row, just for publicity purposes. She would make "copy" out of anything, -that girl would. Then, if it wasn't Gee-gee's room, it might be Mrs. -Van's. Fancy his invading the privacy of that austere lady's boudoir! -Bob's hand shook slightly and the knob rattled a trifle; he hastily -released it. To his horror a voice called out. - -"Any one there?" - -It was Gee-gee. Bob stood still, not daring to stir, lest Gee-gee, with -senses alert, should hear him and come out and find him. He prayed -devoutly not to be "found." It was bad enough to be crazy, and to be a -social buccaneer, without having Miss Gerald look upon him as an -intrigant, a Don Juan and a Jonathan Wild all rolled into one. Bob -wanted to flee the worst way, but still he thought it better to contain -himself and stand there like a wooden man a few moments longer. - -"Any one there?" repeated Gee-gee. - -A neighboring door opened and one of the last men Bob wanted to see, -under the circumstances, looked out. It was the hammer-thrower and his -honest face expressed a world of wonder, incredulity and reproach, as he -beheld and recognized Bob, who didn't know what to do, or to say. He -certainly didn't want to say anything though, having no desire to -agitate Miss Gee-gee any further. Fortunately, the hammer-thrower seemed -too amazed for words. He just kept looking and looking. "Where on earth -did you come from?" his glance seemed to say. "Are you the ghost of Bob -Bennett? And if you aren't, what are you doing here, before a lady's -door, at this time of night?" - -Disapproval now became mixed with indecision in the hammer-thrower's -glance. He seemed trying to make up his mind whether or not it was a -case demanding forcible measures on his part. Was it his duty to spring -upon Bob, then and there, and "show him up" before the world? Bob read -the thought. In another moment Gee-gee might come to the door, and -then--? Bob suddenly and desperately determined to throw himself upon -the mercy of the hammer-thrower. Indeed, he had no choice. - -Quickly he moved to the door where his hated rival stood and as quickly -pushed by him and entered that person's room. At the same moment Gee-gee -unlocked her door. Bob couldn't see her, though, as he was now -thankfully swallowed up in the depths of a recess in the -hammer-thrower's room. Gee-gee peeked out. She met the eye of the -hammer-thrower who had modestly withdrawn most of his person back into -his apartment and who now suffered only a fraction of his face to be -revealed to Gee-gee at that unseemly hour and place, and under such -unseemly circumstances. - -"I beg your pardon," said the hammer-thrower deferentially, and in a -very low tone, "but did you call out?" - -"Yes, I thought I heard some one at my door." - -Bob hardly breathed. Would the hammer-thrower hale him forth? Would he -toss him--or try to--right out into the hall at Gee-gee's feet? - -"I--I don't see any one," said the hammer-thrower hesitatingly, and -still in a very low tone. His hesitation, however, told Bob he had -considered or was still considering that forcible policy. - -"I certainly thought I did hear some one," observed Gee-gee, matching -the other's tones. His voice seemed to imply that it might be as well -not to arouse any others of the household and Gee-gee involuntarily fell -in with the suggestion. - -"You--" Again, however, that awful hesitation! The hammer-thrower had no -reason to like Bob, for did he not know that young gentleman had the -presumption to adore Miss Gerald? Still the apparently more successful -suitor for Gwendoline's hand had a sportsmanlike instinct. He'd been -brought up to be conscientious. He had been educated to be gentlemanly -and considerate. Perhaps he was asking himself now if it might not be -more sportsmanlike not to denounce Bob, then and there, but to give him, -at least, a chance to explain? "You--you must be mistaken," said the -hammer-thrower, after a pause, in a low tense whisper. - -"You're sure it wasn't you?" murmured Gee-gee softly but suspiciously -and eying the other's open and trustworthy countenance. - -"I?" For a moment Bob thought now, indeed, had come the time to eject -him, but--"Is that a reasonable conjecture?" the other murmured back. - -Gee-gee pondered. "No, it ain't," she confessed, at length. Locked -double-doors separated her room and the hammer-thrower's. He would -surely have used a skeleton key on those doors were he the guilty party, -instead of going out into the hall to try to get in that way. "I got to -thinking of that swell burglar who is going the rounds, before I went to -sleep," murmured Gee-gee, "and I may have been dreaming of him! Sorry to -have disturbed you." And Gee-gee closed her door very quietly. - -She thought she must have been mistaken about the intruder. Anyhow, -there wasn't much excitement for an actress any more, in being robbed. -That advertising stunt had been so overworked that even the provincial -dramatic critics yawned and tossed the advance man's little yarn of -"jewels lost" right into an unsympathetic waste-basket. A scandal in -high life was always more efficacious. No one ever got tired of scandals -and city editors simply clamored for "more." So Gee-gee composed herself -for sleep again. She had reason to be satisfied, for had not she and -Gid-up, who roomed with her, sat up late and arranged final details -before retiring? - -Gid-up would say: "We'll make it like this." And Gee-gee would answer: -"No, like this." Of course, Gee-gee's way was better. Upon a slender -thread of fact she fashioned, as Dickie had feared, a most wonderful -edifice of fancy. She had mapped out a case that would startle even dear -old New York. "Better do it good, if we're going to do it at all," she -had said. Gid-up had been a little doubtful at first, but she always did -what Gee-gee told her to in the end. And Gee-gee knew she could depend -upon Gid-up's memory, for once the latter had had a small part. She had -to say: "Send for the doctor" and she had never been known to get mixed -up and say: "Send for the police," or for the undertaker, or anything -equally ridiculous. Having thoroughly rehearsed her lines, she would -stick to them like a major. When Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence and the two -G's should get together on the morrow, the largest anticipations of the -two former ladies would be realized. Gee-gee wouldn't have Mrs. Dan -disappointed for the world. Gid-up was rather afraid of Mrs. Clarence; -however, she had been batted about by so many rough stage-managers and -cranky musical-directors, she could stand almost anything. - -But what about Bob? - - * * * * * - -That young gentleman, now seated in the hammer-thrower's room, had -frankly revealed what had happened to bring him out in the hall. In a -low tone he told why he had approached Gee-gee's door and what had been -in his mind when he had placed his hand on the knob. The hammer-thrower, -if not appearing particularly impressed by Bob's story, listened -gravely; occasionally he shook his head. It wasn't, on the whole, a very -reasonable-sounding yarn. Truth certainly sounded stranger than fiction -in this instance. Bob couldn't very well blame the other for not -believing. Still he (Bob) owed him that explanation. Though he (Bob) -might detest him as the man who would probably rob him of Miss Gerald's -hand, still the fact remained that the hammer-thrower appeared at -present in the guise of his (Bob's) savior. Bob couldn't get away from -this unpleasant conclusion. He didn't want to have anything to do with -the other and yet here he was in his room, actually being shielded by -him. The situation was, indeed, well-nigh intolerable. - -The hammer-thrower studied Bob with quiet earnest eyes, and the latter -had to acknowledge to himself that the man's face was strong and -capable. If Miss Gerald married him--as seemed not unlikely--she would, -at any rate, not get a weak man. He was about as big as Bob, though not -so reckless-looking. Bob was handsomer, in his dashing way, but some -girls, sensibly inclined, would prefer what might appear a more reliable -type. The hammer-thrower looked so sure of himself and his ground he -inspired confidence. He looked too sure of his ground now, as regards -Bob. - -"It won't do," he said with his usual directness to Bob, when the latter -had finished explaining. "Sounds a little fishy! I'm sorry, old chap, -but I shall have to have time to think it all over. And then I'll try to -decide what is best to be done. You say you were unjustly incarcerated -in a private sanatorium." Bob hadn't explained the circumstances--who -had "incarcerated" him and why. "That you were incarcerated at all is a -matter of regret." - -"To you?" said Bob cynically. - -"Of course." Firmly, but with faint surprise. "You didn't think I -rejoiced at your misfortune, did you?" - -"I didn't know. I thought it possible." - -The hammer-thrower's heavy brows drew together. "You seem to have a -little misconception of my character," he observed with a trace of -formality. "You were incarcerated, apparently, _pro bono publico_. I had -no hand in it. If I had been consulted, I should have hesitated some -time before expressing an opinion." - -"Thanks," said Bob curtly. Such generous reserve was rather galling, -coming from this quarter. - -"I'm afraid you don't mean that," replied the other. "And it's a bad -habit to say what you don't mean. However, we are drifting from the -subject. You will pardon me for not swallowing, _a capite ad calcem_, -that little Muenchhausen explanation of yours." - -"I don't care whether you swallow it head, neck and breeches, or not," -returned Bob. The other had taken a classical course at college, and Bob -conceived he was ponderously trying to show off, just to be annoying. He -was adopting a doubly irritating and classical manner of calling Bob a -liar. And that young man was not accustomed to being called that--at -least, of yore! Maybe he would have to stand it now. It seemed so. -"You're like a good many other people I've met lately," said Bob, not -without a touch of weariness as well as bitterness. "You don't know the -truth when you hear it." - -The hammer-thrower drew up his heavy shoulders. "No use abusing me, old -chap," he said in even well-poised tones. "Am I at fault for your -unpopularity? Indeed"--as if arguing with himself in his slow heavy -fashion--"I fail to understand why you have made yourself unpopular. You -seem to have proceeded with deliberate intention. However, that is -irrelevant. You say there was some one in your room, or rather the room -you were supposed to have vacated; but to which you have unaccountably -returned--not, I imagine, by way of the front door." Severely. "And -after entering in burglarious fashion you pursued a phantom. The phantom -vanished, leaving you in a compromising position. You expect people to -believe that?" Shaking his head. - -"I should be surprised if they did," answered Bob gloomily. "I suppose -you'll tell everybody to-morrow." - -"That's the question," said the other seriously. "What is my duty in the -matter? I don't want to do you an irreparable injury, yet appearances -certainly seem to indicate that you--" He hesitated. - -"Never mind the Latin for it," said Bob. "Plain Anglo-Saxon will do. -Call me a thief." - -"It's an ugly word," said the other reluctantly, "and--well, I don't -wish to be hasty. My father always told me to help a man whenever I -could; not to shove him down. And maybe--" He paused. There was really a -nice expression on his strong face. - -"Oh, you think I may be only a young offender--a juvenile in crime?" -exclaimed Bob bitterly. - -"The words are your own," observed the other. "To tell you the truth," -seriously, "I hardly know what to think. It is all too -extraordinary--too unexpected. I'll have to ponder on it. The profs, at -college always said I had the champion slow brain. The peculiar part to -me is," that puzzled look returning to his heavy features, "I can't -understand why you're making people think what they do of you? Frankly, -I don't believe you're 'dippy.' You were always rather--just what is the -word?--'mercurial'--yes; that will do. But your head looks right enough -to me." - -"What's the Latin for 'Thank you'?" said Bob. - -"Do you really think this is a trivial matter?" asked the other, bending -a stronger glance upon his visitor. "I believe you are somewhat -obligated to me. Please bear that in mind." With quiet dignity. "As I -was saying, your conduct since coming here, seems to baffle -explanation--that is, the right one. I wonder what is your 'lay,' -anyhow? What's the idea? I like to be able to grasp people." Forcefully. -"And you escape me. I can't get at the tangible in you. Nor"--with a -sudden quick glance--"can Miss Gerald--" - -"Suppose we leave her name out," said Bob sharply. "You've done me a -favor which I ought not to have accepted. And I tell you frankly I'd -rather have accepted it from any one else in the world." - -"I think I understand," replied the other quietly, with no show of -resentment on his heavy features. "Have a cigar?" Indicating a box on -the table. - -"I'd rather not." - -"Very well!" - -For some moments Bob sat in moody silence. Then suddenly he got up. - -"Am I to be permitted to return to my room?" he asked. - -"I believe I told you I would consider your case," said the -hammer-thrower. - -And Bob passed out. He regained his room without mishap, which rather -surprised him. He almost expected to be intercepted by the monocle-man -but nothing of the kind happened. - - - - - CHAPTER XVI--PLAYING WITH BOB - - -It took a great deal of courage for Bob to go down to breakfast the next -morning. In fact, he had never done anything before in his life that -demanded so much courage. He pictured his entrance, anticipating what -would happen; he didn't try to deceive himself. The monocle-man would -tap him on the shoulder. "You are my prisoner," he would say. And then -it would be "exit" for Bob amid the exclamations and in the face of the -accumulated staring of the company. - -Bob wasn't going to play the craven now, though, so he marched -down-stairs and into the breakfast-room, his head well up. With that -smile on his lips and the frosty light in his blue eyes, he looked not -unlike a young Viking fearlessly presenting a bold brow to the enemy -while his ship is sinking beneath him. He acted just as if he hadn't -been away and as if nothing had happened. - -"Good-morning, people," he said in his cheeriest. - -For a moment there was a tombstone silence while Bob, not seeming to -notice it, dropped down in a convenient place at the table. His -vis-a-vis, as luck, or ill-luck would have it, was the monocle-man. Bob -felt the shivers stealing over him. But the monocle-man, too, acted as -if nothing had happened. He didn't get up and tap Bob on the shoulder. -Perhaps he wished to finish his breakfast first. - -"Aw!--Have some toast," he observed to Bob. "Mrs. Ralston's toast is -really delicious." - -"No," said Bob airily. "I don't like that English kind of toast. Makes -me think of rusk! No taste to it! Give me good old American toast with -plenty of butter on it." - -"Aw!" said the monocle-man. - -Bob didn't stop there. He appealed to the bishop and carried the -discussion on to the doctor. He even went so far, a daredevil look in -his sanguine blue eyes now, as to ask Miss Gerald's opinion. Miss -Gerald, however, pretended not to hear. Her devoted admirer was close at -hand and Bob saw the hammer-thrower's brows knit at sight of him. Bob in -his new mood didn't care a straw now and looked straight back at the -hammer-thrower, as if daring him to do his worst. For an instant he -thought the hammer-thrower was going to say something, but he didn't. -Perhaps second thought told him it would be better taste to wait, for he -lifted his heavy shoulders with rather a contemptuous or pitying shrug -and paid no further attention to luckless Bob. - -The latter kept up a gay conversation between bites, professing to be -quite unaware of a certain extraordinary reticence with which his light -persiflage was received. He looked around to see if Gee-gee and Gid-up -were anywhere visible and saw that they were not. This did not surprise -him, as theatrical ladies are usually late risers and like to breakfast -in their rooms; nor would they be apt to mingle promiscuously with the -other guests. Mrs. Ralston, Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence were also not -about. Bob was thankful Mrs. Ralston needed most of the morning by -herself, or with sundry experts, to beautify; he didn't care to see his -hostess just yet. It was hard enough to meet her fair niece, Miss -Gerald, under the circumstances. - -"I understand we have two new arrivals in the professional entertaining -line," said Bob to the monocle-man. - -"Aw!--how interesting!" replied the other. Bob couldn't get much of a -"rise" out of him, though unvaryingly affable in his manner toward the -young man. "Try some of this marmalade--do--it's Scotch, you know. All -marmalade ought to be Scotch. Dislike intensely the English make!" - -"How unpatriotic!" said Bob cynically. Really, the monocle-man did it -very well. He was a fine imitation. - -"Aw!" he said once more. - -And then Bob began to play with him. Dear old dad who was somewhat of a -bibliomaniac had, on one or two of Bob's vacation trips to London, -introduced the lad to many quaint, out-of-the-way nooks and corners. Now -Bob drew on the source of information thus gleaned and angled with his -one-eye-glassed neighbor. But the monocle-man fenced beautifully; he -knew more than Bob. And when the latter had exhausted himself, the -monocle-man, with a few twinkles behind his staring window-pane, played -with Bob. He showed him as a mere child for ignorance of the subject, -and drawled so brilliantly that some of the others became interested, -though professing not to see that Bob was there. When the monocle-man -had finished, Bob felt abashed. He gazed upon the other with new and -wondrous respect. He had attempted the infantile and amateurish game of -unmasking the other--of exhibiting his crass ignorance and letting the -others draw their own conclusions--and he had been literally overwhelmed -in his efforts. - -Having shown Bob the futility of trying to play with him, the -monocle-man again offered Bob the marmalade. His manner of doing it made -Bob think of a jailer who believed in the humane treatment of prisoners -and who liked to see them well-fed. Bob for the second time refused the -marmalade and did it most emphatically. Whereupon the monocle-man -smiled. - -At that moment Bob met the gaze of the temperamental young thing. There -were dark rings under her eyes and she looked paler than he had ever -seen her. Also, there was a certain fascinated wonder, not unmixed with -some deeper feeling, in her expression. She was, no doubt, absolutely -astounded to see Bob there, and talking with the monocle-man. Bob -surmised she would be waiting for him somewhere later to express -herself, and he was not mistaken. Bob got up. As he did so, he glanced -at the monocle-man. Would he be permitted to go, or would the denouement -now happen? Would the other, alas, arise? - -He did nothing of the kind. He let Bob have a little more line. He even -suffered him to walk away, at the same time smiling once more at vacancy -or the rack of toast. Of course the temperamental young thing hailed Bob -shortly after he was out of the room. He expected that. She came -hurrying up to him, excitement and terror in her eyes. - -"Flee!" she whispered. - -"I won't do it," answered Bob sturdily. - -"Why did you come back?" Agitatedly, "What a rash thing to do! Like -walking into the lions' den." - -"Well, the principal lion was nice and polite, anyhow." - -"Could you not see he was only just"--she sought for a word--"dallying -with you?" - -"He made me see that," Bob confessed rather gloomily. "He made me feel -like thirty cents. I guess he's got my goat. And to think I thought him -a blamed fool. I tell you I'm learning something these days; I'm taking -a course they don't have in college, all right." - -"Why do you waste time talking?" said the girl. "Every moment is -precious. Go, or you are lost." - -"That sounds like the stage," replied Bob. - -She came closer, her temperamental gaze burning. "Will this make you -serious?" she asked almost fiercely. "I told." - -"Eh?" - -"I told all," she repeated. - -"You did?" - -"Yes." - -"When?" - -"Last night." - -"Hum!" said Bob. "That makes it a little worse, that is all." - -"I was mad," she said, "at the way you--you--" - -"I think I understand." - -"Why--why don't you get angry and--" - -"And curse you the way they do in plays?" He laughed a little -mirthlessly. "What's the use? It wouldn't do any good if I dragged you -around by the hair." - -"It's just that attitude of yours," she said, breathing hard, "that has -made me perfectly furious." - -"Who'd you tell?" Bob eyed her contemplatively. - -"Lord Stan--The monocle-man, as you call him." - -"Whew!" Bob whistled. "You went straight to headquarters, didn't you?" - -"He came up to me on the porch just after you had left, and--and--" - -"It's quite plain," said Bob gently. "You couldn't hold in. Don't know -as I ought to blame you much." - -"I wish you wouldn't act like that," she returned passionately. "Don't -you hate me?" - -He looked at her from his superior height. "No. Now that I think of it, -you only did the right and moral thing. After all"--he seemed to be -speaking from the hammer-thrower's high judicial plane--"it was your -duty to tell." - -"Duty!" she shot back at him. "I didn't do it for that, or"--with sudden -scorn--"because it was the moral thing. I did it because--because -you--you had hurt me and--and I wanted to hurt you the worst way--the -very worst way I could--" - -"Well, that sounds very human," replied Bob soothingly. "It's the old -law. Eye for an eye! Tit for tat! _Quid pro quo!_" That hammer-thrower -was getting him into the Latin habit. - -"You must not speak like that. You _must_ hate me--despise me--I -betrayed you--betrayed--" - -Bob looked at her sympathetically. She really was suffering. "Oh, no, -you didn't. You only thought you did," he said. - -"I did! I did! And afterward I felt like Salome with the head of John -the Baptist." - -Bob twisted his handsome head and lifted a hand to his neck. "Well, it's -really not so bad as that," he returned in a tone intended to be -consoling. "Anyhow, it's very brave of you to come and tell me about -it." - -"Brave!" she scoffed, the temperamental breast rising. "Why, I just -blurted it all right out--how I discovered you in my room--how I turned -on the light and how you dropped the brooch to the floor!" - -For a few moments both were silent. Then Bob spoke: "How'd it be, if we -called bygones, bygones, and just be friends?" he said gravely. -"Honestly, I believe I could like you an awful lot as a friend." - -"Don't!" she said hoarsely. "Or--or I can't hold in. My! but you are -good." - -"Isn't that the sound of music?" said Bob suddenly. - -"I--I believe it is." - -"A tango, by jove! Think of tangoing right after breakfast! Some one -_is_ beginning early. What are we coming to in these degenerate days?" -Bob wanted to take her thoughts off that other disagreeable subject. His -own sudden and unexpected appearance had, no doubt, been quite upsetting -to those other guests. That tango music had a wild irresponsible sound, -as if the some one who was banging the concert-grand in the big music -salon was endeavoring to turn the general trend of fancy into more -symphonious channels. He, or she, was a musical good Samaritan. Bob held -out a ceremonious arm to the temperamental young thing. "Shall we?" he -said. "Why not?" - -"You mean--?" - -"Tango with me? That is, if you are not above tangoing with a--" - -She slipped an uncertain little hand on his arm. - -"It may be my last, for a long time," he said gaily. "While we live, let -us live." - -But when they entered they saw it was the man with the monocle who sat -at the big, wonderfully carved piano. His fingers were fairly flying; -his face was a bit more twisted up to keep the monocle from falling off, -while he was flinging his hands about over the keys. At sight of him, -the temperamental little thing breathed quickly and would have drawn -back, but Bob drew her forward. The monocle-man's face did not change as -he glanced over his shoulder to regard them; he had a faculty for -hitting the right keys without looking. Bob put a big reassuring arm -about a slim waist. He tangoed only to show the temperamental little -thing that he forgave her. But her feet were not so light as ordinarily -and the dance rather dragged. Once Bob looked down; why, she wasn't much -bigger than a child. - -"Friends?" he asked. - -Her little hand clutched tighter for answer, and the monocle-man played -more madly. It was as if he were making the puppets fly around while he -pulled the strings. He seemed having the best kind of a time. There was -now a whimsical look in his eyes as they followed Bob. - -That was one of the longest days Bob ever knew. The temperamental thing -had told him they were coming to arrest him. Well, why didn't they? His -appearing unexpectedly on the spot like that may have caused them to -change their minds. He included in the "them" Mrs. Ralston and her niece -and he could only conclude they all meant to "dally" with him, in Miss -Dolly's phraseology, a little longer. But surely they had enough -evidence to go right ahead and let justice (?) take its course. What the -temperamental little thing had confessed would be quite sufficient in -itself, for their purpose. - -Bob began to get impatient; he didn't like being "dallied" with. In his -desperate mood, he desired to meet the issue at once and since "it" was -bound to happen, he wanted it to happen right off. Then he would -robustly proclaim his innocence--aye, and fight for it with all his -might. He was in a fighting mood. - -Mrs. Ralston's demeanor toward him--when in the natural order of events -he was obliged to meet that lady--added to his feeling of utter -helplessness. She, like the monocle-man, acted as if nothing had -happened, seeming to see nothing extraordinary or surprising in his -being there. She treated him just as if he hadn't been away and talked -in the most natural manner about the weather or other commonplace -topics. She was graciousness itself, even demanding playfully if he -hadn't thought of any more French compliments? - -Bob stammered he had not. The fact that Miss Gerald was near and -overheard all they said didn't add to his mental composure. Gwendoline's -violet eyes had such a peculiar look. Bob hoped and prayed she would -preserve that manner of cold and haughty aloofness. He wouldn't have -exchanged a word with her now for all the world, if he had had any -choice in the matter. Did she divine his inward shrinking from any -further talk with her? Did she realize she was the one especial person -Bob didn't want to converse with, under the circumstances? It may be she -did so realize; also, that she deliberately sought to add to his -discomfiture. Possibly, she felt no punishment could be too great for -one who had sunk so low as he had. - -At any rate, the day was yet young when, like a proud princess, she -stood suddenly before him. Bob had taken refuge in that summer-house -where she had proposed (ha! ha!) to him. He had been noting that Mrs. -Ralston seemed to have several new gardeners working for her and it had -flashed across his mind that these gardeners were of the monocle-man -type. They were imitation gardeners. One kept a furtive eye on Bob. He -was under surveillance. Now he could understand why the monocle-man let -him flutter this way and that, with seeming unconcern. Oh, he was being -dallied with, sure enough! That monocle-man was argus-eyed. Bob had had -a sample of his cleverness at the breakfast-table. - -Miss Gerald's shadow fell abruptly at Bob's feet. He saw it before he -saw her--a radiant, accusing patrician presence. The girl carried a golf -stick, but there was no caddy in sight. - -"Mr. Bennett," said Miss Gerald, with customary directness, "do you know -who poisoned my aunt's dog?" - -Bob scrambled to his feet awkwardly. Her loveliness alone was enough to -embarrass him. "No," he said. - -"He was poisoned that night you left," she said, and went on studying -him. - -Bob pondered heavily. If the dog had been killed with a golf stick for -example, he might have been to blame. "You are sure he was poisoned?" he -asked with an effort. - -"Certainly." In surprise. - -"Well, I didn't do it," said Bob. - -"Were you in any way responsible for it?" She stood like an angel of the -flaming sword in the doorway, where the sunlight framed her figure. She -rather intoxicated poor Bob. - -"Not to my knowledge," he said. Of course the commodore might have -poisoned the dog, but it was unlikely. Probably that inside-operator, or -his outside pal had "done the deed." A dog would be in their way. - -Miss Gerald considered. "There is another question I should like to ask -you, Mr. Bennett," she said presently. - -"Go on," returned Bob, with dark forebodings. - -"Are you a sleep-walker?" - -"No." - -"Then why do you go wandering around nights when every one else has -retired? Last night, for example?" - -"So that hammer-thrower told you, did he?" remarked Bob. "I thought he -would." - -"Do you blame him?" - -"Oh, I suppose it was his duty." Every one seemed "telling" on Bob just -at present. - -"You do not deny it?" - -"Why should I?" - -"Then we may accept his version of the story?" - -"Yes. I presume it was correct." - -Again Miss Gerald remained thoughtful and Bob glanced out toward the -gardeners. One of them seemed to have edged nearer. Bob smiled a little -glumly. After having caught him in the web, the spiders were now winding -the strands around and around him. Spiders do that when they don't want -to devour their victim right off. They mummify the victim, as it were, -and tuck him away for the morrow. - -"Why"--the accusing presence was again speaking--"did you go down-stairs -that first night of your arrival, after all the household had retired?" - -Bob would have given a great deal not to answer that, but he had to. "I -was showing some people out." - -"Your accomplices?" - -"They might be called that." Miserably. He wouldn't "give away" Dan and -the others, unless he had to--unless truth compelled him to designate -them by name as his accomplices. - -"Are you aware, Mr. Bennett, of the seriousness of your answer?" - -"Yes, I know. But how did you know--that I went down-stairs?" - -"I thought I heard some one go down. And then I got up and you went by -my door, and I looked out, ever so quietly. You went in Dolly's room and -she woke up and caught you trying to take her brooch." - -Bob was silent. What was the use of talking? - -"Well, why don't you speak?" - -"It is true I went in Miss Dolly's room, but I thought it was my room," -said Bob monotonously. "It was a mistake." And Bob told how the brooch -happened to fall to the floor. Strange to say, truth didn't ring in his -accents. He hadn't much confidence at that moment in the old saw that -truth is mighty and will prevail. Truth wasn't mighty; it was a monster -that sucked your heart's blood. And Bob gazed once more with that -famished look upon Miss Gerald. He found her a joy to the eye. Though -she stood in a practical pose, the curves of her gracious and proud -young figure were like ardent lines of poetry in a matutinal and -passionate hymn to beauty. And Bob's lips straightway yearned to sing -hexameters to loveliness in the abstract--and in the flesh--instead of -plodding along half-heartedly through unconvincing and purposeless -explanations. - -"You certainly do look fine to-day!" burst from Bob. It wasn't exactly a -hexameter nor yet an iambic mode of expression. But it had to come out. - -Roses blossomed on the girl's proud cheek. Bob's explosive and -uncontrollable ardency would have been disconcerting, under any -circumstances, but under such as those of the present--Miss Gerald's -eyes flashed. - -"Isn't--isn't that rather irrelevant?" she said after a moment's pause. - -"I--yes, I guess it is," confessed Bob, and his head slowly fell. He -looked at the hard marble pavement. - -A moment the girl stood with breast stirring, like an indignant goddess. -"Have you--have you any information to volunteer?" she said at length -icily. - -"Oh, I don't have to volunteer," answered Bob. And then rushed on to a -Niagara of disaster. "Why don't you ask that hammer-thrower? I suppose -you'd believe _anything_"--he couldn't keep back the bitter -jealousy--"he tells you." - -An instant eyes met eyes. Bob's now were stubborn, if forlorn and -miserable. They braved the indignant, outraged violet ones. He even -laughed, savagely, moodily. What would he not have given if she would -only believe him, instead of--? But it was not to be. Yet this girl had -his very soul. His miserable and forlorn eyes told her that. Whose eyes -would have turned first, in that visual contest is a matter of -uncertainty, for just then the enthusiastic voice of Gee-gee was heard -"through the land." - -"Why, Mr. Bennett--you here? So glad to see you!" - -Bob forgot all about heroics. Gee-gee drifted in as if she were greeting -an old and very dear friend, instead of a casual acquaintance, upon -whom, indeed, she had rather forced herself, on a certain memorable -evening. Bob wilted. When he recovered a little, Miss Gerald was gone. -Below them the gardener who had caught Bob's eye now drew a bit nearer. -Bob turned on Gee-gee. - - - - - CHAPTER XVII--A GOOD DEAL OF GEE-GEE - - -"See here," he said rather savagely, "this has got to stop." - -Gee-gee stared. "Bless its little heart, what is it talking about?" - -"You know," said Bob. The fact that he now saw Gwendoline Gerald -rejoined afar by the hammer-thrower did not improve his temper. - -"Pardon me," returned Gee-gee, tossing her auburn hair, "if I fail to -connect. Mrs. Ralston has been good enough to treat us as her regular -guests. And, indeed, why shouldn't she?" With much dignity. "But if you -feel I ain't good enough to speak to your Lord Highmightiness, except at -stage doors and alleys and roof gardens--" Cuttingly. - -"This isn't a question of social amenities," said Bob. Gee-gee didn't -know what "amenities" meant and that made _her_ madder. "You've come -down here to raise a regular hornet's nest." - -Gee-gee sat down. She was so mad she had to do something. She wanted to -slap Bob's face, but she couldn't do that. As Mrs. Ralston's guest she -couldn't give way to her natural and primitive impulses. Her gown, -modishly tight all over, strained almost to bursting point; it seemed to -express the state of her feelings. A high-heeled shoe, encasing a -pink-stockinged foot, agitated itself like a flag in a gale. - -"I like that," she gasped. "And who are you to talk to me like that? -Maybe you think this is a rehearsal." - -"For argument's sake, I'll own I'm not much account just at present," -said Bob. "Be that as it may, I'm going to try to stop the mischief you -are up to, if I can." He didn't know how he would stop it; he was -talking more to draw Gee-gee out than for any other purpose. Bob's own -testimony, as to certain occurrences on that memorable roof-garden -evening, wouldn't amount to much. The lawyers could impeach it even if -they let him (Bob) testify at all in those awful divorce cases that were -pending. But they probably wouldn't let him take the witness-stand if he -was a prisoner. Bob didn't know quite what was the law governing the -admissibility of testimony in a case like his. - -Gee-gee shifted her mental attitude. She was getting her second breath -and caution whispered to her to control herself. This handsome young -gentleman had been the most indifferent member of the quartet on that -inauspicious occasion on the roof; indeed, he had yawned in the midst of -festivities. Bob, in love, cared not for show-girls or ponies. He had -even tried to discourage Dan and the others in their zest for innocent -enjoyment. Gee-gee now eyed Bob more critically. As a -young-man-sure-of-himself, he had impressed her on that other occasion! -Instinct had told her to avoid Bob and select Dan. Now that same -instinct told her it might be better to temporize with this -blunt-speaking young gentleman--to "sound" him. - -"You sure have got me floating," observed Gee-gee in more lady-like -accents. "I'm way up in the air. Throw out a few sand-bags and let's hit -the earth." - -"That's easy," said Bob. "Do you deny you're down here to raise Ned?" - -"Do I deny it?" remarked Gee-gee with flashing eyes. "Do I? We are down -here to fill a little professional engagement. We are down here on -account of our histrionic talents." A sound came from Bob's throat. -Gee-gee professed not to notice it. "We are paid a fee--not a small -one--to come down here, to do privately our little turn which was the -hit of the piece and the talk of Broadway." - -"Bosh!" said Bob coolly. Gee-gee looked dangerous. Once more the -pink-stockinged ankle began to swing agitatedly, and again reckless Bob -narrowly escaped a slap in the face. "Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence got -Mrs. Ralston to ask you down here," he went on. "You weren't asked on -account of your histrionic ability. You were asked because it was the -only feasible way to get you beyond other strong, I may even say -desperate, and to them, inimical influences. Mrs. Ralston isn't the only -one who is financing your little rural expedition. I guess you know what -I mean?" - -"Nix!" said Gee-gee. "You've got me up in the air again. Turn the little -wheel around and let the car come down. This ain't Sunday, and if I was -taking a little Coney-Island treat, I wouldn't choose you for my -escort." - -"It certainly isn't Sunday in the sense of a day of rest," remarked Bob -gloomily. By this time the hammer-man and Miss Gerald were beyond his -range of vision. But he would not think of them; he must not. He had a -duty to perform here; maybe it would do no good, but it was his duty to -try. "That publicity racket is all right up to a certain point," he -said, bending his reproachful eyes upon Gee-gee. "But when it comes to -smashing reputations, stretching the truth, and injuring others -irreparably--all for a little cheap nauseating notoriety--Well"--Bob hit -straight from the shoulder--"I tell you it's rotten. And I, for one, -shall do what I can to show up the whole conspiracy. That's what it is. -It would be different if you were going to tell what was so, but you -aren't. It isn't in the cards." - -"I don't know what you're talking about." Gee-gee's tight dress nearly -exploded now. The blood had receded from her face and left it a mottled -cream while her greenish eyes glowed like opals. Her expression was -animalistic. It seemed to say she would like to crush something beneath -those high heels and grind them into it. - -"Yes, you do," said Bob. "And it will be a frame-up for poor old Dan and -Clarence, too!" Dickie's description of what was going to happen -recurred to him poignantly. "I tell you it's a wicked cruel thing to do. -I repeat, it's rotten." - -If he thought he could overwhelm Gee-gee by a display of superior -masculine strength and moral force, he was mistaken. Gee-gee wasn't that -kind of a girl. She had some force herself, though whether of the moral -kind is another matter. - -"'Wicked!' 'Rotten!' 'Cheap!'" she repeated slowly, but breathing hard. -"Listen to the infant! 'Rotten!'" She lingered on the word as if it had -a familiar sound. "Well, what is life, anyhow?" she flung out suddenly -at the six-foot "infant." "Maybe you think this theater business is like -going to Sunday-school--that all we have to do is to hold goody-goody -hands and sing those salvation songs! Salvation! Gee!" And Gee-gee -folded her arms. She seemed to meditate. "You know what kind of -salvation a girl gets down on old Broadway?" she scoffed. "Aren't the -men nice and kind? Don't they take you by the hand and say: 'Come on, -little girl, I'll give you a helping hand.' Oh, yes, they give you a -helping hand. But it isn't 'up.' It's all 'down.' And every one wants to -see how deep they can make it. Say, Infant, I was born in one of those -avenues with letters. People like these"--looking toward the -house--"don't know nothing about that kind of an avenue. It ought to be -called a rotten alley. That's where I learned what 'rotten' meant. Nice -young gentlemen like you who toddled about with nursie in the park can't -tell _me_." - -Bob tried not to look small; he endeavored to maintain his dignity. He -was almost sorry he had got Gee-gee started. The conversation was -leading into unexpected channels. "Why, I toddled about in rottenness," -went on Gee-gee. "Gutters were my playground." Dreamily. She seemed to -be forgetting her resentment in these childhood recollections. -"Sometimes I slept in cellar doorways, with the rotten cabbages all -around. But they and all the rest of the spoiled things seemed to agree -with me. I've thrived on rottenness, Infant!" Bob winced. "It's all that -some girls get. Men!" And Gee-gee laughed. Here was a topic she could -dilate on. Again the opal eyes gleamed tigerishly. "I've got a lot of -cause to love 'em. Oh, ain't they particular about _their_ reputations!" -Gee-gee's chuckle was fiendish. "Poor, precious little dears! Be careful -and don't get a teeny speck of smudge on their snowy white wings! My! -look out! don't splash 'em! Or, if you do, rub it off quick so the -people in church won't see it. But when it comes to us"--Gee-gee showed -her teeth. "I learned when I was in the gutter that I had to fight. -Sometimes I had to fight with dogs for a crust. Sometimes with boys who -were worse still. Later, with men who were worst of all. And," said -Gee-gee, again tossing her auburn mane, "I'm still fighting, Infant!" - -"Which means," said Bob slowly, overlooking these repeated insults to -his dignity, "you aren't here just to exhibit those histrionic talents -you talked about?" - -Gee-gee laughed. She was feeling better-natured now that she had -relieved herself by speaking of some of those "wrongs" she and her sex -had undoubtedly to endure. There were times when Gee-gee just had to -moralize; it was born in her to do so. And she liked particularly to -grill the men, and after the grilling--usually to the receptive and -sympathetic Gid-up--she particularly liked, also, to go out and angle -for one. And after he had taken the hook--the deeper the better--Gee-gee -dearly loved the piscatorial sport that came later, of watching the -rushes, the wild turnings, the frenzied leaps. - -She even began to eye the infant now with sleepy green eyes. But no hook -for him! He wasn't hungry. He wouldn't even smell of a bait. Gee-gee -felt this, having quite an instinct in such matters. Perhaps experience, -too, had helped make her a good fisherwoman. So she didn't even bother -making any casts for Bob. But she answered him sweetly enough, having -now recovered her poise and being more sure of her ground: - -"It doesn't mean anything of the sort. Our act has been praised in a -number of the newspapers, I would have you understand." - -"All right," said Bob, as strenuously as he was capable of speaking. "I -only wanted you to know that between you and me it will be--fight!" - -This was sheer bluff, but he thought it might deter Gee-gee a little. It -might curb just a bit that lurid imagination of hers. - -Gee-gee got up now, laughing musically. Also, she showed once more her -white teeth. Then she stretched somewhat robust arms. - -"Fight with you?" she scoffed. "Why, you can't fight, Infant! You -haven't grown up yet." - -Bob had the grace to blush and Gee-gee, about to depart, noticed it. He -looked fresh and big and nice to her at that moment, so nice, indeed, -that suddenly she did throw out a bait--one of her most brilliant -smiles, supplemented by a speaking, sleepy glance. But Bob didn't see -the bait. He was like a fish in a pool too deep for her line. Gee-gee -shrugged; then she walked away. Snip! That imitation gardener was now -among the vines, right underneath where Bob was sitting. - - * * * * * - -Gee-gee's little act was better than Bob expected it would be. She sang -a French song with no more vulgarity than would mask as piquancy and the -men applauded loudly. Gee-gee was a success. Gid-up put hers "over," -too; then together they did a few new dances not ungracefully. Mrs. -Dan's face was rather a study. She was an extremist on the sex question -and would take the woman's side against the man every time. -Theoretically, she would invite injured innocence right into camp. She -reversed that old humbug saying, "The woman did tempt me;" according to -her philosophy, man, being naturally not so good as a woman, was -entitled to shoulder the bulk of the blame. But when she looked at -Gee-gee she may have had her doubts. - -She may even have regretted being instrumental in bringing her here at -all. And it is not unlikely that Mrs. Clarence may have entertained a -few secret regrets also, and doubts as to the application of a -broad-minded big way of looking at certain things pertaining to her own -sex, when she beheld her of the saucy turned-up nose and brazen freckle. -Certain it is, both Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence looked more serious and -thoughtful than jubilant. They didn't applaud; they just seemed to, -bringing their hands together without making a noise. But both ladies -were now committed to the inevitable. Gee-gee and Gid-up, displaying -their "histrionic talents," were but calculated to make Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence the more determined to pursue the matter to the bitter -end. Among the guests now was a certain legal light. His presence there -at this particular time--when the two G's adorned the festivities--might -be a mere coincidence; on the other hand it might signify much. He had -certainly spent a long time that afternoon talking to Gee-gee and -Gid-up. Mrs. Dan and Mrs. Clarence came in contact with them only by -proxy. - -Bob was a deeply pained spectator of the wordless drama that was being -enacted. He, alone, besides those directly involved, knew the tragedy -lurking behind the mocking face of comedy. That gay music sounded to Bob -like a fugue. He could well believe what it was costing Mrs. Dan and -Mrs. Clarence to attain their purpose. They weren't enjoying themselves. -It was altogether a miserable business, and almost made Bob forget his -own tragedy. A little incident, however, brought the latter once more -vividly to mind. - -It occurred while Gee-gee, in answer to applause at the conclusion of -her dance with Gid-up, was singing another of those risque, French cafe -chantant songs. Bob sat next to the temperamental little thing who was -behaving with exemplary consistency. She had been comporting herself in -strictly comrade-fashion ever since their last talk, not once overdoing -the little chum act. She hadn't asked him for a single kiss or to put -his arm about her waist in dark corners. Perhaps she was too anxious on -his account for sentimental considerations. She couldn't understand the -way things were going--that is, things pertaining to Bob. - -"Why _don't_ they?" once she whispered to Bob. - -He knew what she meant--arrest him? He shook his head. "Dallying," he -answered. - -"I could just scratch his eyes out," she murmured with excess of -loyalty. - -"Whose?" - -"That monocle-man. You know what I did this afternoon?" - -"No." Bob, however, surmised it would be something interesting. - -"I went up to that monocle-man and told him every word I had said to him -the night before wasn't so." - -"You did?" Staring at her. - -"Yes, I did." Setting her cherry lips firmly. "I told him I was just -trying to fool him and that I would never--never--never testify to such -rubbish, if called on to do so." - -"But you'll have to," said Bob. "You've got to tell the truth." - -"I'd tell whoppers by the bushel to help you," she confided to him -unblushingly. "That's the kind of a friend I am." - -"But I wouldn't have you. I wouldn't let you," he murmured in mild -consternation. "Great Scott! they'd have you up for perjury." - -"Oh, no, they wouldn't. I'd do it so cleverly." - -"But the monocle-man would testify, too." - -"Who do you think a jury would rather believe, me or him?" she demanded -confidently. "Especially if I was all dressed up and looked at them, all -the time I was testifying." - -"Well," said Bob, "I don't believe you could do it, anyhow. Besides, it -would be stretching friendship too far. Though you're a jolly little pal -to offer to!" She hunched a dainty little shoulder against his strong -arm. - -"I'd go through fire and water for you," breathed the jolly little pal. - -"It's fine of you to say it," answered Bob fervently. "I haven't many -friends now, you know. But--but it's impossible, what you propose. It -would only get you into trouble. I'd be a big brute to allow that. It -would make me out a fine pal, wouldn't it? Besides, it wouldn't do any -good. Some one else heard me go into your room and knows all about it. -Some one else would fortify what the monocle-man would tell. And her -testimony and his would overwhelm yours. And I'd never forgive myself -for your being made a victim of your own loyalty." - -"Was that some one else Miss Gerald?" asked the jolly little pal -quickly. - -"Yes," said Bob. As he spoke he glanced toward Miss Gerald. - -Gee-gee had now started to sing and nearly every one's head was turned -toward the vivacious vocalist. Bob saw Miss Gerald's proud profile. He -saw, too, the hammer-thrower, next to her, as usual. On the other side -of the hammer-thrower--the side nearer where Gee-gee stood--was the lady -who had given Bob the "cold shoulder" a few nights ago at dinner. The -hammer-thrower's eyes were naturally turned toward that cold shoulder -now, and, as naturally, his gaze should have been bent over it, toward -the vocal center of attraction for the moment. - -But his gaze had stopped at the shoulder, or something on it. Bob noted -that look. For a fraction of a minute, or second, it revealed a sudden -new odd intensity as it rested on a lovely string of pearls ornamenting -the cold shoulder. And at the same instant a wave of light seemed to -sweep over Bob. For that fraction of a minute he seemed strangely, -amazingly, to have been afforded a swift glimpse into a soul. - -The whole thing was psychic. Bob couldn't have told just how he came to -know. But he knew. He was sure now who had taken Mrs. Vanderpool's -brooch. Strangely, too, the hammer-thrower, after that fraction of a -second's relaxation of vigilance over his inner secret self, should have -turned and looked straight toward Bob. His look was now heavy, normal. -Bob's was burning. - -"You!" his eyes said as plainly as if he had called out the word. - -The hammer-thrower's face did not change in the least; nor did his look. -He turned his eyes toward the singer with heavy nonchalance and never -had his face appeared more honest and trustworthy. - -"Oh, you beauty!" murmured Bob admiringly. - -"Do you really think she is?" asked the jolly little pal. She thought -Bob meant Gee-gee. "Is that the style you like?" - -"Thinking of something else," said Bob. - -"Some one, you mean?" with slight reproach. - -"Pals aren't jealous," he reminded her. "Besides, it was a man." - -"Oh!" she said wonderingly. - - "For life is but a game of hide-and-seek," - -sang Gee-gee, in the rather execrable French some one had drilled into -her. - -"Come and catch me," was the refrain. - -Bob shook his head. He didn't want to play at that game. But life was a -game of hide-and-seek, all right. He permitted himself the luxury of -smiling as he once more looked over at the hammer-thrower and applauded -Gee-gee. Odd, the idea of the hammer-thrower being that person he (Bob) -was supposed to be, had never occurred to the latter! But no one ever -would suspect that face! "My face is my fortune, sir," he might have -said. The hammer-thrower caught Bob's smile. - -"'Come and catch me,'" reiterated Gee-gee. - -That might be applicable to the hammer-thrower. Bob, for the moment, -felt as happy as a child who has discovered the solution of a puzzle. So -that when Miss Gerald deigned casually to glance at him, she was -surprised at his new expression. It seemed a long while since Bob had -looked happy, but now he looked almost like his old self. Was it the -near presence of the temperamental young thing that had wrought this -change, Miss Gerald might well have asked herself. - -Violet eyes looked now into temperamental dark ones. Gwendoline, too, -was smiling--at the song. But it was that cryptic kind of a smile once -more. Bob's smile was a rather large cryptic counterpart of Miss -Gerald's. The temperamental little thing, though, didn't smile. She -seemed reading Miss Gerald's soul. She was dropping a plumb-line deep -down into it. - -Then Miss Gerald turned again to the hammer-thrower, who talked to her -just as if Bob hadn't seen anything, or imagined he had. Gee-gee sat -down, at the same time condescending to bestow upon Bob a triumphal -look. He had dared to scoff at her histrionic talent, had he? Well, she -had shown him--and them. Maybe with a little publicity, she would become -a star of dazzling magnitude. At that moment, the world looked bright to -Gee-gee. - - - - - CHAPTER XVIII--A FORMIDABLE ADVERSARY - - -What a merry mad wag that hammer-thrower really must be at heart! -thought Bob. How he was chuckling inside, or laughing in his sleeve most -of the time while he went around with that heavy, serious, reliable -visage of his! And that ponderous manner?--What lively little imps of -mischief or fancy it concealed! That simulated slow tread, too?--Bob -surmised he could get around pretty fast on occasions, if he wanted to, -or had to. He was dancing very seriously with Miss Gerald now, seeming -to take dancing as a kind of a moral lesson. Oh, that "duty talk" to -Bob! He would "consider" Bob's case!--He wanted to ponder over it--he? -And how painfully in earnest he had been when he had sprung what his -father had said about not giving a fellow a shove when he was down! - -Bob disentangled himself as soon as he could from the temperamental -little thing and went into the billiard room, where he began to toy with -the ivories. If there was one thing he could do, it was play billiards. -But he retired to the seclusion of the billiard room now principally for -the reason that he expected the hammer-thrower would follow him there. -He felt almost sure the other would seek him. So, though Bob proceeded -to execute one or two fancy shots with much skill, his thoughts were not -on the ivories. He was considering his position in relation to the -hammer-thrower. He (Bob) might entertain a profound conviction regarding -the latter's profession, but could he prove anything? - -True, he now remembered and could point out that the latter had attended -all those functions where losses had occurred. But that wasn't in itself -particularly significant. Other people, also, had attended all the -functions in question. Bob couldn't even actually swear he had seen the -other in his room when he had dropped something from Bob's window to -some one lurking below. Bob hadn't had the chance to recognize him on -that occasion. As far as evidence went, the "boot was all on the other -leg." The hammer-thrower was obviously in a position to use Bob to pull -chestnuts out of the fire for him. - -But why had he not denounced Bob to the entire household, then and -there, when he had discovered him before Gee-gee's door? Perhaps the -hammer-thrower didn't yet know that any one knew there had been -substituted one or two imitation articles of jewelry for real ones. If -this were so, then from his point of view a denunciation of Bob might -lead to an investigation which would reveal the fact that substitutions -had occurred and in consequence he would be but curtailing the period of -his own future activities in this decidedly fertile field. He hadn't, of -course, refrained through any feeling of charity or commiseration for -Bob. He had, moreover, paved the way to use Bob in the future, if need -be, by discreetly mentioning the incident to Miss Gerald. Bob might -prove serviceable as an emergency man. All this had no doubt been -floating through the hammer-thrower's brain while he had stood there -with that puzzled, aggrieved and righteous expression. - -A slight sound behind him caused Bob to turn quickly and, as he had -expected, he beheld the hammer-thrower. Here was renewed confirmation of -that which he had just learned. - -"I felt it my duty to inform Miss Gerald of what occurred last night," -began the hammer-thrower without prelude. - -"I know that already," said Bob, continuing his play. - -"Ah, then I am wasting time. But having concluded that it was incumbent -on me to take that course, I thought it but right to come to you and -tell you what I had done. Square thing, you know." - -Bob grinned. "Say it in Latin," he observed flippantly. - -A slight frown gathered on the other's brow. "I really fail to -understand. You placed me in an unpleasant position. It was not easy to -speak of such a matter." - -"Then why did you?" said Bob lightly, executing a difficult play. - -"You do not seem to realize there are some things we have to do." - -"Duty, eh?" observed Bob with another grin. - -"Without wishing to pose as puritanical, or as a prig, I may say you -have hit the nail fairly on the head." - -"Oh, you aren't a prig," said Bob. "You're a lu-lu." - -"I don't know whether you mean to be complimentary or not," returned the -hammer-thrower with unvarying seriousness. "As I believe I have remarked -before, you appear totally not to comprehend your own position. I might -have awakened the house and what would have been your status then? There -have of late been so many mysterious burglaries at large country-houses -and in the big city homes of the affluent that a guest, found rambling -about in pajamas at unseemly hours, courts, to put it mildly, suspicion. -Anyhow, for my own protection, I had to speak to Miss Gerald. You see -that, don't you? We'll waive the moral side." - -"'Your own protection' is good," said Bob, sending his ball twice around -the table and complacently observing the result. - -"I mean that if it became known that I had secreted you in my room and -said nothing about it, it would, in a measure, place me in the light of -being an accomplice," returned the hammer-thrower, ignoring the point in -Bob's last words. "I don't know whether anything will be discovered -missing here or not, but if there should be--?" - -"Things will be discovered missing, all right," returned Bob. "What was -that you dropped out of the window in my room last night?" - -The hammer-thrower stared at him. "I?--your room?" he said at length -very slowly, with the most genuine amazement written all over his -serious reliable features. - -"You! My room!" repeated Bob. "You didn't expect me to come back. I gave -you quite a surprise, didn't I? You are certainly some sprinter." - -Still the hammer-thrower continued to stare. "Mad!" he said at last. "I -hardly credited it before, but now--That private sanatorium!--No doubt, -it was best." - -Bob laughed. "That sanatorium fits in fine, doesn't it? You'll be trying -the little abduction act next, yourself, I suppose." - -"I'm trying to make up my mind whether you aren't really a dangerous -person to be at large," said the hammer-man heavily. "You might say -something like that to some one else. You appear absolutely -irresponsible." - -"I might," observed Bob tentatively. Oh, if he only could! - -"However, I hardly think you will," remarked the other in his heaviest -manner. "By the way, you play pretty good billiards." - -"Thanks awfully. Want to play?" - -"Don't mind." And the hammer-thrower took down a cue. - -"I should dearly like to beat you," said Bob in wistful tones. - -"And I should as dearly like not to be beaten by you, or any one else," -returned the other. - -"I know," conceded Bob, not without a touch of admiration, "you're a -great chap for winning prizes and things. You've taken no end of cups, -haven't you? I mean, legitimately." - -"Yes; I usually go in to win." The other professed not to hear Bob's -last words. - -"And you've been feted some, in consequence, too, haven't you?" said Bob -suddenly. "You were at the Duke of Somberland's, I remember." Meaningly. -He remembered, too, that articles of great value had disappeared from -the duke's place at the same time. - -"I believe I was. Met no end of interesting people!" - -"And weren't you at Lord Tumford's?" Bob recalled reading how jewels had -mysteriously vanished in the case of Lord Tumford's guests, also. - -"Yes, got asked over for the shooting. Believe I did very well for an -American not accustomed to the British method of slaughter." - -"No doubt," said Bob. The hammer-thrower was getting bigger in his way -every moment. Now he had become an operator of international importance. - -"Speaking about winning, you were on the losing team at college, weren't -you?" he observed significantly. - -"Quite so!" answered Bob. "We worked awfully hard and ought to have won, -but fate, I guess, was against us." - -"We," said the hammer-man in his ponderous way, "are fate. Arbiters of -our destinies! We succeed, or we don't. And when we fail, it is we that -fail. Fate hasn't anything to do with it." - -"Maybe you're right," assented Bob. "I don't know. Anyhow, it's a test -of true sportsmanship to know how to lose." - -"Not to whine, you mean? True. But it's better not to lose. Now go ahead -and try to beat me." - -Bob tried his best. He let the other name the game and the number of -points, and for a time it was nip and tuck. Once Bob ran a string of -seventy. Then the hammer-thrower made one hundred and one. His playing -was brilliant. Some of the heaviness seemed to have departed from his -big frame. His steps nearly matched Bob's for litheness while his big -fingers handled the cue almost daintily. All the inner force of the man -seemed focused on the task of winning. He had made up his mind he -couldn't lose. Bob was equally determined, too, not to lose. - -The game seemed symbolical of that bigger game they were playing as -adversaries, and more and more Bob realized here was an opponent not to -be despised. He was resourceful, delicate, subtle, as he permitted Bob -now to gaze behind that shield of heaviness. He had never before -exhibited his real self at the table, playing heretofore in ponderous -fashion, but this time, perhaps, he experienced a secret delight in -tantalizing an enemy. Those big fingers seemed capable of administering -a pretty hard squeeze when the hour arrived; they might even not -hesitate at a death-clutch. The game now was very close. - -"Shall we make it a thousand for the winner?" suggested the -hammer-thrower. - -"Haven't that much," said Bob. "Only got about seven dollars and a half, -or so." - -"I'll bet you seven dollars and a half, then." - -Bob accepted, and immediately had a run of luck. He was within two -points of being out. The hammer-thrower had about fifty to go. - -"Get that seven dollars and a half ready," he said easily as he began -his play. - -"Maybe I shan't have to," replied Bob. - -"Yes, you will." He spoke as one not capable of making mistakes about -what he could do. And he didn't make a mistake this time. He ran out. -Bob paid with as good grace as he could. Then the hammer-thrower moved -heavily away and left Bob alone. - -The latter didn't feel quite so jubilant now over his secret knowledge -as he had a little earlier. The hammer-thrower had permitted him to test -his mettle--indeed, he had deliberately put himself out to do so, and -make Bob realize even more thoroughly that he might just about as well -not know anything for all the good it would do him (Bob). His lips might -as well be sealed, as far as his being able to prove anything; if he did -speak, people would answer as the hammer-thrower had. "Mad!" Or worse! -That sanatorium incident was certainly unfortunate. - -Bob put his hand in his pocket to get his handkerchief to wipe a few -drops of perspiration from his brow. He drew out his handkerchief, but -he also drew out something else--something hard--that glittered-a -ring--a beautiful one--with perfect blue white diamonds--a ring he -remembered having seen on certain occasions adorning one of Miss -Gerald's fingers. - -Bob stared at it. He stood like one frozen to the spot. That hammer-man -had done more than beat him at billiards. While he (Bob) had extended a -portion of his person over the table to execute difficult shots the -other had found it an easy trick to slip Miss Gerald's ring in the -coat-tail pocket of Bob's garment. Could you exceed that for diabolical -intention? Now what on earth was Bob to do with Miss Gerald's ring? - -He couldn't keep it and yet he didn't want to throw away her property. -It seemed as if he would be forced to, though. After an instant's -hesitation he made up his mind that he would toss it out of the window -and then write her anonymously where it could be found. The hammer-man -hadn't calculated Bob would discover it on his person so soon, or -perhaps he had told himself the odds were against Bob's discovering it -at all. He would, of course, have preferred that others should discover -it on Bob. The latter now strode to the window; the glittering ring -seemed fairly to burn his fingers. He raised the curtain as softly as he -could--the window was already open--and then suddenly started back. - -The light from within, shining on the garden, revealed to him with -disconcerting abruptness a man's face. The man sprang back with -considerable celerity, but not before Bob had recognized in him that -confounded maniac-medico. He had tracked Bob here, but not wishing to -create a scene among Mrs. Ralston's guests, was no doubt waiting outside -with his assistants and the first time Bob stepped out of the house, he -expected to nab him. All the while Bob had been playing billiards, that -miserable maniac-medico had probably been spying upon him, peeping from -under the curtain. - -Bob moved from the window, the ring still in his fingers, and at this -inopportune moment, the monocle-man walked in. He seemed to have timed -his coming to a nicety. Perhaps he had noticed that little episode at -the window. Bob, in a panic, thrust the ring hurriedly into his -waistcoat pocket and tried to face the other without showing undue -agitation, but he feared guilt was written all over his countenance. - -"Hot," muttered Bob. "Thought a breath of fresh air would do me good." - -"Quite so. We English believe in plenty of fresh air," returned the -monocle-man, just as if he swallowed the reason the other had given for -going to the window. - -But after that Bob couldn't get rid of him. It was as if he knew -something was wrong and that Bob needed watching. He began to fool with -the balls, telling how hard it was for him to get accustomed to these -small American tables. The British game was far better, he went on, all -the while keeping his eyes pretty closely on Bob, until the latter got -desperate and went back to where people were. But the monocle-man went, -too. By this time Bob was convinced the other knew what was in his -pocket. "Caught with the goods!" That's the way the yellow press would -describe his predicament. - -"Aren't you the regular hermit-crab?" It was the temperamental little -thing's reproachful voice that at this point broke in upon his sorrowful -meditations, and Bob turned to her quickly. At the moment he was awfully -glad she had come up. "What have you been doing?" she went on. - -"Oh, just rolling the balls. Will you dance?" Eagerly. - -"Can't! Engaged. You should have asked me sooner and not run away." Then -perhaps she saw how disappointed Bob looked or caught that desperate -expression in his eyes, for she added: "Yes, I will. Can say I was -engaged to you first and forgot. Come on." - -Bob did. He was a little afraid the monocle-man might not let him, but -the other permitted him to dance. Perhaps he wouldn't have done so if he -had known what was in Bob's mind. That young man felt as if he had now -truly reached his last ditch. - -"Say, I'm in an awful hole," he breathed to the temperamental little -thing, as they glided over the floor. - -"Are you?" She snuggled closer. "Anything worse than has been?" - -"A heap worse! I've got something I simply must get rid of." - -"What is it?" she said in a thrilling whisper. - -"A ring." Hoarsely. - -"No. Whose?" - -"Miss Gerald's." More hoarsely still. - -"How wildly exciting! Though I didn't think you would rob her." In an -odd voice. - -"I didn't." - -"But you say you've got her ring?" - -"Some one put it in my pocket." - -"Isn't it the funny little hermit-crab, though!" she answered. - -"Well, never mind whether you believe me or not. The point is, I've got -to get rid of it and I can't. That monocle-man is watching me. I need -help." - -"Mine?" Snuggling once more. - -"Yours. Will you do it?" - -"Didn't I tell you I'd go through fire and water for you? Am I not now -your eternal and everlasting chum? Say it." - -"What?" - -"That jolly-little-pal talk." - -"Jolly little pal!" he breathed in her ear. - -She sighed happily. "Now what do you want me to do?" - -"I want you to take this ring"--slipping it into her fingers--"and -return it to Miss Gerald's room. You can slip in without attracting any -attention. Besides no one would think anything of your going in her -room, even if you were seen doing so--you're such friends." - -"But," she said wonderingly, "I don't see why you took it at all if--" -She broke off--"Unless that monocle-man knows you've got it on you?" - -"That's the point," observed Bob hoarsely. - -"All right," she assented. "I'll do it. When?" - -"Now." - -"No," she said firmly. "Not until our dance is over. I want every bit of -it. That's--that's my salary. My! I feel awful wicked with that ring in -my hand. You can take a firmer hold of me if you want--the way you did -that first day! I need reassuring!" - -Bob laughed in spite of himself, but he reassured "jolly little pal," in -the manner indicated. - -"Now just fly around," she said. - -And Bob "flew" with a recklessness that satisfied even her. When it was -over she turned to him with an odd look. - -"I've got another condition." - -"What is it?" - -"That you ask Miss Gerald to dance!" - -"But--" he began, disconcerted as well as surprised. - -"That's the condition." - -"She would only refuse." Gloomily. - -"Do you agree?" There was something almost wistful in the temperamental -eyes of little pal at that moment. - -"I--can't." Desperately. - -"Very well. Take back the--" - -"All right. I will," Bob half-groaned. - -As he walked over toward Gwendoline Gerald, he saw the temperamental -little thing moving toward the stairway. Half-way up, she stopped and -looked back over the banister. Perhaps she wanted to see if Bob was -fulfilling his part of the contract. - - - - - CHAPTER XIX--BOB FORGETS HIMSELF - - -"Miss Gerald," said Bob as formally as if he were quoting from one of -those deportment books, "may I have the pleasure of this dance?" - -Her reply was at variance with what "How to Behave in the Best Society" -taught young ladies to say. "Why do you ask?" said Gwendoline Gerald -quietly. - -"Got to," said Bob. - -"Why have you got to?" - -"I promised I would." - -"Who made you promise?" - -Bob told. - -"Do you have to do what she tells you?" - -"In this instance." - -"Of course you know what my reply will be?" - -"I told her you would refuse." - -"You would hardly expect me to dance with you after all I know about -you, would you?" There was still that deadly quietness in her tones. - -"All you think you know about me," Bob had the courage to correct her. -"Of course not." - -"Some one has taken one of my rings," observed Miss Gerald even more -quietly. - -"I haven't got it," exclaimed Bob. "Honest!" Wasn't he glad he had got -rid of it? - -The violet eyes studied Bob as if he were something strange and -inanimate--an odd kind of a pebble or a shell. "You are sure?" said Miss -Gwendoline. - -"Positive," answered Bob in his most confident tones. He remembered now -that during his dance with the jolly little pal he had observed the -monocle-man talking with Miss Gerald. Perhaps he had told her he had -seen the ring in Bob's fingers when the latter had gone to the window. -The monocle-man might have been spying all the while, on the other side. -There might have been two Peeping Toms interested in Bob's actions in -the billiard room. - -"Are you so positive you would be willing to submit to be searched?" - -"I am that positive," Bob answered. And then went on more eagerly: -"Maybe you haven't really lost it after all." He could say that and -still tell the truth. "Why, it may be in your room now. You may find it -on your table or your dresser when you go upstairs to retire." - -Miss Gerald looked at him. "You seem to be rather certain?" she said -tentatively. - -"I am," said Bob. "I'd almost swear--" He stopped suddenly. It wouldn't -do to be too certain. - -"Don't you find your own words rather strange?" the girl asked. - -"Everything's funny about me, nowadays," said Bob. - -"Did you enjoy renewing your acquaintance with Miss ----?" She called -Gee-gee by that other, more conventional name. - -"I did not. I dislike her profoundly." - -"Are you sure?" The violet eyes were almost meditative. "Now I should -have thought--" She paused. Bob read the thought, however. A man like -him was on a plane with Gee-gee; indeed, much lower. Miss Gerald would -be finding in Gee-gee Bob's affinity next. - -"You haven't refused me out-and-out, yet," he suggested. "To dance, I -mean." - -"You would rather, of course, I did refuse you?" - -"Of course," Bob stammered. The mere thought of dancing with her once -again as of yore gave him a sensation of exquisite pain. But naturally -she would never dream of dancing with one she considered a--? - -"Well, you may have the pleasure," she said mockingly. - -Bob could not credit his hearing. She would permit him to touch her. -Incredible! A great awe fell over him. He could not believe. - -"I said you might have the pleasure," she repeated, accenting in the -least the last word. - -Bob caught that accent. Ah, she knew then, what exquisite pain it would -be for him to dance with her! She was purposely punishing him; she -wished to make him suffer. She would drive a gimlet in his heart and -turn it around. Bob somehow got his arm about his divinity and found -himself floating around the room, experiencing that dual sensation of -being in heaven and in the other place at one and the same time. - -It was a weird and wonderful dance. Through it all he kept looking down -at her hair, though its brightness seemed to dazzle him. Miss Dolly had -confided to Bob that he "guided divinely," but he didn't guide divinely -now; he was too bewildered. Once he bumped his divinity into some one -and this did not improve his mental condition. But she bore with him -with deadly patience; she was bound to punish him thoroughly, it seemed. - -Then that dual sensation in Bob's breast began gradually to partake more -of heaven than of the other place, and he yielded to the pure and -unadulterated joy of the divinity's propinquity. He forgot there was a -big black blot on his escutcheon, or character. He ceased to remember he -was a renegade and criminal. The nearness of the proud golden head set -his heart singing until tempestuously and temerariously he flung three -words at her, telepathically, from the throbbing depths of his soul. - -The dance ending abruptly "brought him to." He looked around rather -dazed; then struggling to awake, gazed at her. Her face still wore that -expression of deadly calm and pride. Bob didn't understand. She was no -statue, he would have sworn, yet now she looked one--for him. And a -moment before she had seemed radiantly, gloriously alive--no Galatea -before the awakening! It was as if she had felt all the vibrating joy of -the dance. But that, of course, could not have been. Bob felt like -rubbing his eyes when he regarded her. He did not understand unless-- - -She wished once more to "rub it in," to make him realize again more -poignantly all that he had lost. She let him have a fuller glimpse of -heaven just to hurl him from it. She liked to see him go plunging down -into the dark voids of despair. He yielded entirely to that descending -feeling now; he couldn't help it. - -"I thank you," said Bob, in his best deportment-book manner. - -The enigmatic violet eyes lighted as they rested on him. Bob would have -sworn it was a cruel light. "Oh," she said, "as long as you are a -guest--? There are certain formalities--" - -"I understand," he returned. - -The light in the violet eyes deepened and sparkled. So a cruel Roman -lady might have regarded a gladiator in the arena, answering his appeal -with "Thumbs down." Bob lifted his hand to his brow. The girl's proud -lips--lips to dream of--were curved as in cruel disdain. Then Bob forgot -himself again. - -"I won't have you look at me like that," he said masterfully. "I'm not a -criminal. Confound it, it's preposterous. I didn't steal your ring and I -want you to know it, too. I never stole a thing in my life." They were -standing somewhat apart, where they couldn't be overheard. He spoke in a -low tone but with force, gazing boldly and unafraid now into the violet -eyes. - -"I won't let you think that of me," he said, stepping nearer. "Steal -from you?" he scoffed. "Do you know the only thing I'd like to steal -from you?" His eyes challenged hers; the violet eyes didn't shrink. -"Yourself! I'd like to steal you, but hang your rings!" He didn't say -"hang"; he used the other word. He forgot himself completely. - -A garden of wild roses blossomed on the girl's fair cheek, but she held -herself with rare composure. "I wonder, Mr. Bennett," she observed -quietly, "how I should answer such mad irresponsible talk?" - -"It's the truth. And if I were a thief--which I'm not--I wouldn't steal -your rings. Even a thief wouldn't steal the rings of the girl he loves." - -More roses! Outraged flushing, no doubt! Yet still the girl managed to -maintain her composure. "You dare go very far, do you not, Mr. Bennett?" - -"Yes; and I'll go further. I love every hair of your head. Even when -you're cruel," he hurried on recklessly, "and heaven knows you can be -cruel enough, I love you. I love your lips when they say the unkindest -and most outrageous things to me. I love your eyes when they look scorn. -I ought not to love you, but I do. Why, I loved you the first time I saw -you. And do you think if I were all those things you think me, I'd dare -stand up here and tell you that? I didn't mean to tell you ever that I -loved you. But that's my answer when you imply I'm a rank criminal. A -man's got to have a clear conscience to love you as I do. Such love can -only go with a clear conscience. Why, you're so wonderful and beautiful -to me I couldn't--" Bob paused. "Don't you see the point?" he appealed -to her. "A man couldn't have you in his heart and not have the right to -hold up his head among his fellow men." - -Miss Gerald did not at once answer; she had not moved. The sweeping dark -lashes were lowered; she was looking down. "You plead your cause very -ingeniously, Mr. Bennett," she observed at length, her lashes suddenly -uplifting. The lights were still there in the violet eyes; they seemed -yet mocking him. "You invoke the sacred name of love as a proof of your -innocence. The argument is unique if not logical," she went on with -pitiless accents and the red lips that uttered the "sacred name of love" -smiled. "I have been rather interested, however, in following your -somewhat fantastic defense of yourself. That it has incidentally -involved me is also mildly interesting. Do you expect me to feel -flattered?" The red lips still smiled. Bob was quite near but she didn't -move away. She seemed quite unafraid of him. - -"You needn't feel ashamed," said Bob sturdily. And his eyes flashed. -They seemed to say no woman ought to be ashamed of an honest man's love. -"I may be mad over you," he went on, "but I'm not ashamed of it. There -isn't a thought I have of you that doesn't make me want to be a better -man, and a stronger and more useful one, too," he added, squaring his -shoulders. - -Again the long lashes swept slightly downward, masking the violet, and -the girl's lips moved--a ripple of amusement, no doubt. She looked up, -however, once more with that appearance of deadly calm. "Then you deny -it, in toto, having seen my ring to-night?" - -Bob swallowed. Again he dropped from the heights. - -"You do not speak," said Miss Gerald, studying him. - -"I--wish you wouldn't ask me that," he managed to say. - -"Why not?" lifting her brows. "Even if you saw it you could say you -hadn't." - -"That's just the point," Miserably. "I couldn't." - -"Then you did see it?" - -"I did." - -"You had it, perhaps?" - -"I did." - -"You have it now?" - -"No." - -"Ah, you have passed it on to an accomplice, perhaps." Mockingly. Miss -Gerald drew up her proud figure. "And this is the man," she said, "who -talks to me of love. Love!" With a low musical laugh. "The tenderest -passion! The purest one! Dare you repeat now," with crushing triumph in -the violet eyes, "what you said a moment ago." - -"I love you," said Bob, with burning glance. "I shall carry your image -with me to the grave." - -This slightly staggered even one of her regal young bearing. His tone -was that of the master once more. No criminal in his look when he said -that! Miss Gerald's slender figure swayed in the least; her breast -stirred. Bob put his handsome reckless face nearer. That was the way he -answered her challenge. He wore his fighting look. - -"I love you," he said. "And that," he flung at her, "is still the answer -I dare make." - -Miss Gerald did not reply to this bold defiance at once. How she would -have answered, Bob never knew, for at that moment the hammer-thrower -came up and the girl at once turned to him, looking slightly paler as -she did so. Both then walked away, Bob's somber gaze following them. But -he was not long permitted even this mournful privilege. - -"Phone, sir," said a voice at his elbow. "Mr. Robert Bennett is urgently -wanted on the phone." - -"All right." And Bob followed the servant. "What now?" he asked himself -wearily. - -The voice at the other end was Dan's. Fortunately the telephone was -isolated and no one in the house could catch what Bob said. The good old -commodore frantically wished to know all about Gee-gee and Gid-up. He -had heard that Bob had got out of the sanatorium and gone back to Mrs. -Ralston's. Dan's desire for information was greater even than his -resentment toward Bob, as he had stooped to calling him up. - -Bob obliged the commodore with such news as he could give. He told how -he had tried unsuccessfully to sway Gee-gee and to show her the error of -her ways; how she, however, seemed resolutely determined on her course -of action and was not to be swayed. He related also that there was a -legal light in the house. - -At this point Dan's remarks became explosive; it was like the Fourth of -July at the other end of the line. Bob waited until the racket ceased -and then he went on with further details, trying to be as conscientious -and informing as possible. Finally he couldn't think of anything more to -say. But Dan thought of a lot--and some of it was personal, too. It -didn't ruffle Bob at all, however. It rolled off him like water off a -duck's back. - -"You'll be arrested," said Bob at last. "There's a law against that kind -of talk through telephones, you know." - -"I'm afraid it's all up," moaned Dan. - -"'Fraid it is!" affirmed Bob. "How does Clarence take it?" - -"He's sitting here, all broke up." - -"Well, tell him to cheer up if he can," said Bob. "Gid-up isn't nearly -so dangerous as Gee-gee. At least that's my opinion." - -"Oh, isn't she?" sneered Dan. And then there was some more Fourth of -July at the other end of the line. - -Bob waited patiently for it to subside. "Is that all you wanted to talk -with me about?" he asked at length. - -"It is not," snapped Dan. "Those confounded blankety-blank detectives, -some blankety-blank idiot has employed as gardeners about Mrs. Ralston's -place, have arrested that-blankety-blank medical head of the private -sanatorium." - -"What?" exclaimed Bob jubilantly. - -"They found him prowling around. He tells the police-station man who he -is, but the police-station man won't believe him." - -"Ha! ha!" Bob was glad he could laugh once more, but it was Fourth of -July again for Dan. - -"It isn't any blankety-blank laughing matter," he called back. "He's one -of my witnesses and I don't want to lose him. Lost witnesses enough -already!" Furiously. - -"Well, why don't you get him out?" said Bob with a gratified snicker. - -"I tried to, but that blankety-blank station-house man is a blank -bullet-head and the blankety detectives insist he shall be held, as they -saw him looking through a window. What I want you to do is to come down -to the village and help get him out." - -"Me?" said Bob loftily. "Me help get him out?" - -"Yes, you can acknowledge he was after you, an escaped patient." - -"Where is he now?" asked Bob. - -"Cell." - -"Well, you tell the station-man for me that he had better put him in a -padded room. Ha! ha!" And Bob hung up the receiver. - -But almost immediately the bell rang again. - -"Hello!" said a voice. It was the telephone operator. "Is Mr. Bennett -still there? Oh! Well, there's a party on the long distance wants to -speak to you." - -"Hello; that you, Bob?" came in far-away accents. - -"It's me. Who are you?" - -"Dad." - -"Oh, hello, dad!" Bob tried to make his voice joyful. - -"I called you up to tell you I caught a fifty-seven pounder. Thought -you'd like to congratulate me." - -Bob did. - -"They've made me a member of the Pius Piscatorials--swell club down -here," continued dad jubilantly, and again Bob did the congratulating -act. "By the way, how's hustling?" went on dad. - -"I'm hustling all right." - -"That's good. Well, good-by, son. I'll be short of funds presently, but -that doesn't worry me. I'm having the time of my life. By-by, dear boy." - -"By-by, dad, dear." - -"Hold on, Mr. Bennett." It was the telephone operator once more. -"There's another party that's bound to speak to you, and take it from me -I don't like the sound of his voice. I hope he isn't like that first -party that was talking to you. What us poor girls has to put up with is -something shameful, and--All right. Go ahead." - -"This is Dickie," said a voice. "Say! you leave my girl alone. I've -heard of your goings-on." - -"Who told you?" asked Bob. "That Peeping Tom? That maniac-medico?" - -"I told you before I was going to marry her. You keep off the premises -if you know what is good for you." Dickie was so mad he was childish. - -"No, you're not going to marry her," said Bob. - -"You--you don't mean to say you're engaged to her?" came back in choked -tones. - -"No. She's only my jolly little pal. But she thinks a lot of what I tell -her and I'll pick out a real man for her some day. You aren't good -enough. A chap that will punch another chap when he can't defend himself -isn't the chap for jolly little pal." - -"I didn't punch you when you couldn't defend yourself," said Dickie -indignantly. - -"I'm the one to know. You gave it to me all right, and thereby settled -your chances with her. Do you think I'd let a girl like her marry a chap -like you? Why, you might come home and beat your wife! You're capable of -it. I refuse my consent absolutely. I shall advise her to have nothing -whatever to do with you." - -Dickie couldn't speak and Bob left him in a state of coma. This time Bob -was suffered to leave the telephone booth. He was awfully glad they had -the maniac-medico locked up. Maybe he would get a cute little room with -a cunning little window, and maybe there'd be a landscape? But there -wouldn't be any flowers. - -Just at this moment the temperamental little thing hurried up to Bob in -a state of great agitation. He saw that something serious had happened. - - - - - CHAPTER XX--HAND-READING - - -"Did you get rid of it?" he asked hurriedly. - -"I did not," she gasped. "That mean old monocle-man wouldn't let me. -He's just kept his eye on me every moment. When I went up-stairs, he -followed. There he is now. See how he's watching us. Oh, what shall I -do, if they find me with it?" - -"Give it to me," said Bob. - -"No, I won't." - -"But do you realize what it means if they find it on you?" he asked in -alarm. - -"We would go to jail together," said jolly little pal. - -"But I won't have you go to jail. It's preposterous." - -"Maybe I deserve it," she remarked, "for having 'peached.' I hope," -wistfully, "our cells will be close together. Did you have a nice dance -with Miss Gerald?" - -"Give it to me," commanded Bob sternly. "If you don't, I'll--I'll take -it from you." - -But she put her hand behind her. "Isn't Gwendoline the most beautiful -thing in the world?" she said. "We'll talk about her in jail. It'll help -pass the time." - -"Give--" - -"I'm not the least bit jealous, because now I'm only your really-truly -little pal," she went on. "I wish I could be your best man. But I don't -suppose that's feasible." - -"Give--" - -"I might swallow it," she observed tentatively. - -"Great heavens!" he reached for her hand. - -"Aw!--fortune-telling?" said a voice. - -"Yes; he was just going to read my palm," answered jolly little pal -promptly while Bob turned rather nervously to regard the monocle-man. - -"Perhaps--aw!--I could read it," suggested the monocle-man, looking at -the closed fingers. "I have some--aw!--skill that way. Perhaps, Miss -Dolly--aw!--you would permit me to look at your heart line?" - -"I just won't," said Miss Dolly, with flashing eyes. - -Bob watched her closely. If she tried to swallow it, he would stop her. - -"How--aw!--very unkind!" said the monocle-man. "If you -would--aw!--permit me, I could tell you--? aw!--just what kind of a man -you're going to marry." - -"I'm not going to marry any one," replied the jolly little pal. - -"Please now, do--aw!" he urged. - -"Well, if you want to be tiresome." She gave him the hand that didn't -hold the ring. - -"Impulsive! Charming!" he said, bending his monocle owlishly over the -soft pink palm. "Now the other?" - -"Won't!" she returned succinctly. - -Bob drew yet nearer. He believed she was quite capable of carrying out -that threat of swallowing it. - -"But how can I complete telling your fortune--aw!--unless I see the -other hand?" expostulated the monocle-man with a pleasant smile. "I -desire especially to examine the Mount of Venus." - -"There isn't any mountain any more," said the jolly little pal. "It's -been moved away." - -"Aw! How interesting! Then we might survey the vale of friendship." - -She looked around like a bird in a snare; the hammer-man was not far -away and impulsively she flew over to him. - -"Was this our dance? I'm so forgetful!" - -"It wasn't, but it is," he returned with a smile. Obviously he was -flattered. Heretofore Miss Dolly had not acted particularly prepossessed -by the hammer-thrower; he hadn't any temperament--so she thought; he -didn't swing one around with enough abandon. He was one of those serious -goody-goody dancers. He swung Miss Dolly very seriously now; they went -so slowly for her that once she stumbled over his feet. It was evident -their temperaments didn't match. Or maybe what she held in one hand had -made her terribly self-conscious. Bob watched them gloomily. He feared -she might swallow it during the dance, but she didn't, for the little -hand was partly closed still when she left the hammer-thrower and Bob -gazed around for that confounded monocle-man. The latter, however, had -apparently lost interest in palm-reading and the temperamental little -thing, for he was nowhere to be seen. Miss Dolly's eyes were at once -frightened and strange when she fluttered again to Bob's side. - -"Oh, I've done the most awful thing," she confided quite breathlessly to -him. - -"You--you haven't swallowed it?" he exclaimed in alarm. He thought he -had watched her closely, but still she might have found opportunity--she -might have made a swift movement to her lips which he had failed to -observe. - -"No, I haven't swallowed it," she answered. "I've done worse." - -"Worse? What could be worse?" - -"I slipped it into his waistcoat pocket." - -"Whose? The hammer-thrower? No? By jove!--" - -"I did it when I tripped. And I tripped purposely, and when he was very -gallant and kept me from falling, I--I slipped it in. And isn't it -awful? Poor man! He's such a goody-good. You don't mind, do you?" -Anxiously. - -"Oh, I mind a heap," said Bob jovially. "Ho! ho!" - -"I was afraid you might scold." - -"Scold? No, indeed. I'm awfully obliged and I only wish I could do -something for you to show how thankful I am." - -"Do you? Then you might--" She gazed toward the conservatory where it -was dim and shadowy. "No; it wouldn't do. We're not engaged any more. -Besides--" And she looked toward a straight proud figure with golden -hair. She didn't finish what she was going to say. Only--"I guess I -won't make you," she added. - -"Thanks," said Bob. "You're sure the best pal a chap ever had. But -honest! I hate to be mean and disappoint you after all you've done. And -I might volunteer, if you'd make it just one--or, at the most, two." - -A moment the temperamental little thing seemed to waver. Then the -rosebud lips set more firmly. "No," she said. "It's awfully dear of you -to offer, but I don't want any. You've made me see the error of my ways. -I've reformed. I only want to be your jolly little pal. But you haven't -any conscientious scruples about the way I disposed of it, have you?" -she asked, swiftly changing the subject. - -"Conscientious scruples? Not one. Ho! ho!" - -But the laughter faded suddenly from Bob's lips. At that moment the -hammer-thrower chanced to put his fingers in his waistcoat pocket. Then -he gave a slight start and glanced toward the temperamental little -thing; his brow was lowering, and he appeared to meditate. Bob knew -there must be murder in his heart. Just then from across the room, Bob -saw the monocle-man approaching the hammer-thrower. - -The latter cast a swift look toward him of the monocle. It was the look -of a man who for the first time, perhaps, fully realizes, or begins to -realize certain unexpected forces arrayed against him. He now had the -ring and he dared not keep it. If he had never entertained any -suspicions regarding the monocle-man's identity before, there was -something about the other now that awoke sudden and secret misgivings. -The monocle-man didn't make much of a point of disguising his -watchfulness at the present time. That was odd--unless he didn't greatly -care just now whether any one guessed his identity or not. Possibly the -psychological moment was approaching. - -The hammer-thrower thought, no doubt, that Bob had told the -temperamental little thing that he (the hammer-man) had taken the ring -from Miss Gerald's room and Miss Dolly had offered to return it to the -hammer-thrower. And she had found a way to do so. It was clever. But the -hammer-thrower was not in a mood to appreciate the grim jest. Now that -the tables were turned, Bob and Miss Dolly would make it their business -to see that the glittering trifle was found in _his_ possession. The -hammer-thrower couldn't dispose of it under the circumstances; he was in -exactly the same predicament Bob had been in. Suddenly he seemed to make -up his mind what to do; he adopted the most daring expedient. In those -few moments he had done some very rapid thinking. He stepped toward Miss -Gerald now, his face wearing its most reliable expression. Honesty -fairly radiated from his square solid countenance. - -"Miss Gerald," he said, "may I speak with you privately?" - -"Is it important?" she asked. - -"Very!" in his most serious manner. - -She complied with his request, and they withdrew from the hearing of -others. - -"Miss Gerald," he began abruptly, "have you lost a ring?" - -She gazed at him in surprise. - -"I have." - -"Is this it? I believe I recognize it as one you have worn." - -"It is." Gwendoline's look swerved toward Bob. "But--" she began. - -"You do not understand how it came in my possession?" he asked, in an -even monotonous tone. - -"I certainly did not think that you--" - -"You didn't think I had it?" Seriously. - -"I did not." And again she looked toward Bob. - -"I did not know I had it myself," he observed gravely, "until just this -minute. You believe me, I trust?" - -"Yes," she said slowly, "I believe you. But how--?" Again she paused. - -"Did I come by it? A certain young lady I danced with just now placed it -in my waistcoat pocket." - -The hammer-thrower held himself squarely, with a poise that expressed -rectitude. He was rather well satisfied with what he had done. He argued -that his action, from Miss Gerald's point of view, must be that of an -innocent man. If he (the hammer-thrower) had taken the ring it wasn't -likely he would step up to Miss Gerald and offer it back to her. His -bold move complicated the issue; but he did not doubt, however, that he -would emerge from the affair with credit. - -"Of course I am aware that it is a serious charge to make," went on the -hammer-thrower, "but what was I to do? I never was put in a more painful -position." - -"Painful, indeed," replied Miss Gerald sympathetically. "Of course it -was a joke." - -"I am glad you take that view of it," he replied. "You can see that -naturally I found it deucedly awkward. Things have been disappearing in -so many country-houses, don't you know. It wouldn't have been a joke for -me if I hadn't fortunately discovered it as I did. Under the -circumstances, I don't really appreciate Miss Dolly's jokes." - -"But mightn't it have been some one else?" suggested Gwendoline. - -"I danced only with you and Miss Dolly." - -"Well, naturally, it wouldn't be I," said Gwendoline with a smile. -"There's Dolly now talking with Mr. Bennett and Lord Stanfield, Suppose -we speak to her. But I wouldn't have any one else know for the world. -I'm really very sorry Dolly's heedlessness should have caused one of my -aunt's guests any embarrassment." Miss Gerald was graciousness itself. - -In spite of the thrill of the moment, the hammer-thrower couldn't -prevent an expression of honest approval gleaming from his eyes. "You -are very kind," he said in a low tone. "You will never know all this -visit has meant to me. I, too, regret exceedingly that what you regard -as one of Miss Dolly's mad pranks--and we all know how prone she is to -do the unconventional--should have involved me in a little episode that, -perhaps, isn't so agreeable as it should be. I trust, though, you don't -blame me for coming to you at once about the matter?" - -"Why should I blame you?" The violet eyes full on the deep serious ones. - -"I suppose I might just have placed it somewhere, on the mantle, for -example, and not said anything about Miss Dolly's part in the affair," -he observed musingly. "It might have been more chivalrous. One doesn't -like to complain of a woman, you know, and a fellow guest at that." With -regret that sounded genuine. - -"I think you took the only course a conscientious man could," said -Gwendoline Gerald. "Indeed, I can appreciate your position. You did what -any honest man would feel impelled to do." - -Again that gracious smile! Again a slight gleaming in the hammer-man's -eyes! At the moment she seemed to realize in every way the poet's -picture of regal young womanhood--"divinely tall" and most divinely -fashioned, she appeared, as she stood with the light from a great -chandelier full upon her. - -"Your approval is very dear to me," the hammer-thrower murmured. "I -think I have your friendship. That is much--much, indeed. But--" For a -moment he seemed about to say more. His strong, honest-looking face -surely wore an expression of some feeling deeper than friendship. - -Would Gwendoline Gerald have shrunk from a verbal expression of what his -look seemed to imply? The violet eyes never appeared deeper, more -enigmatic--receptive. The hammer-thrower did not go on, however. He -reverted to that other topic. - -"Perhaps it would be as well to drop the matter altogether," he -remarked. "I am quite satisfied to do so, if you are." - -"That is nice of you," she said in a tone that implied she still -approved of him. "But I think I shall speak to Dolly. Or, at least, let -her see the ring is on my finger." - -"I can't understand why she should have done it," he observed in puzzled -accents as they crossed the room. "I can't quite see how it can be -classed as a joke." - -"Dolly has the wildest idea of humor," returned Gwendoline. "As a little -girl she was always doing the maddest things. Perhaps, too, she has been -reading about those sensational robberies and wished to perpetrate a -hoax." - -"I say, that would have been rather rough on a fellow, wouldn't it?" - -"And then, after creating a little excitement, she would have come -forward and said she did it. Maybe she read about that escapade of young -men and girls at an English house-party. They carried off valuables in -an automobile, and returned the same, piece-meal, by parcel post. I -don't say my explanation of Dolly's prank is a correct one," said Miss -Gerald, tentatively lifting long sweeping lashes to regard her -companion, "but it may in some measure throw light upon it." - -"Unless--?" He paused. - -"Unless what?" she asked. - -"Nothing. Only I was thinking--" - -The violet eyes became suddenly darker. "You mean about what you told me -this morning--about Mr. Bennett and how you found him--?" - -"I really didn't wish to speak of that, only it was strange--" He -stopped. - -"Strange, indeed," she observed, studying him. - -"Anyhow, I can't see how to connect that with this," he confessed. - -"There does seem a missing-link somewhere," observed the girl. "Do -you"--and her eyes were again full upon the deep serious ones--"like Mr. -Bennett?" - -"I neither like nor dislike him." They had stopped for a moment in a -doorway. "His manners have been rather extraordinary. I honestly can't -make him out. He looks rational enough and yet he acts most -irrationally." - -"I am going to tell you a great secret," said the girl. "Please do not -speak of it to any one else. Some one in the house has been taking -things--in earnest, I mean." - -"No? Is it possible?" he observed. "Then it wouldn't have been nice for -me if that ring--?" Honest indignation shone from his eyes. "I must say -Miss Dolly did take a confounded liberty." - -"Under the circumstances, yes," said the girl gravely. - -"You say things are missing? Great Scott!" - -"I did not say missing." Quickly. "It is a case of substitution." - -"Pardon me if I fail to understand." - -She explained. "By jove! that is clever. I am honored by your -confidence. I won't betray it. Your aunt is naturally distressed?" - -"Naturally--though she appears the same as usual. However, she is -determined to put an end to these affairs. Society has been frightfully -annoyed. It is not nice to ask some one down and then to have her -lose--" - -"I understand," said the hammer-thrower gravely. "If your aunt can stop -these unfortunate occurrences society will owe her a great debt. But -tell me further, if I am not intruding too greatly on your confidences, -does the finger of suspicion point anywhere?" - -"Yes," returned the girl. - -"Of course," he said, and looked toward Bob. - -That young man's face did not now express any trace of satisfaction or -jovial feeling. He looked both puzzled and worried, and glanced -apprehensively from time to time at the sentimental young thing. The -monocle-man _was_ telling her fortune now. With British persistence he -had reverted to the subject upon again approaching the couple, which he -did almost immediately after the hammer-thrower returned to Miss Gerald -her ring. - -"You missed your ring?" said the hammer-thrower after a pause. - -"Yes. But I never imagined--" - -"It would be returned in such an extraordinary manner? I don't see where -he--?" And the hammer-man paused again with downbent brows. - -It was not hard for her to read the thought. He did not see just where -Bob Bennett "came in." That's what he once more implied. He didn't wish -to be unjust to any one. His expression said that. - -"I guess it must just have been a whim," he conceded after a moment, -handsomely. "After all, it's proofs that count." The sentence had a -familiar sound to Miss Gerald who entertained a vague impression she had -said something like it to Bob. They approached Dolly. - - - - - CHAPTER XXI--HEART OF STONE - - -"Did he tell you that I--?" began Miss Dolly at once, and snatching her -arm from that tiresome monocle-man. - -"Yes, my dear," said Gwendoline. "And he seemed a little hurt at your -sense of humor." - -The temperamental little thing stood like a wild creature at bay, her -eyes glowing like those of a fawn about to receive the arrow of a hunter -or a huntress. Miss Gerald did not look a very remorseless huntress, -however. - -"How did he know I did it?" said Dolly with a glance toward the -hammer-thrower. "He didn't catch me at it." Defiantly. - -"Deduction, my dear," replied Gwendoline. - -"He can't prove it. I defy him." The jolly little pal felt now how one -feels when he or she is haled into a court of justice. She wouldn't -"peach" though. They could put her through the third or the thirty-third -degree and she wouldn't tell on Bob. Never! "You have only _his_ word," -with another glance at the hammer-thrower, "and maybe my word is as good -as his." She had to tell a whopper; but she would tell a million for -Bob. It was a pal's duty to. - -"But I saw you do it," now interposed the monocle-man with a quiet -smile. - -She almost wilted at that, then threw back her head farther. - -"I"--Bob stepped quickly forward--"gave it to her. It was I," gravely to -Miss Gerald, "who had your ring. Think what you please." She had already -passed judgment on him, he remembered. - -"Don't you believe him," tempestuously interrupted the temperamental -little thing. "I took it myself. It--it was just a joke." - -"That's what Miss Gerald and I were saying just now," observed the -hammer-thrower heavily. He held himself just as if he were a remote, -rather puzzled bystander. - -Bob gave a hoarse laugh. He couldn't control himself. - -"I beg your pardon," observed the monocle-man, "but I am afraid Miss -Dolly, in her zeal, is rather misleading in her statements. Her vale of -friendship, I have noticed, on her palm, is well developed. At the same -time I can not let her wrongfully accuse herself, even though the matter -should pass as a jest. I have to tell the truth--you must forgive me, -Miss Dolly. But I saw Mr. Bennett pass you that ring during the dance." - -"But why should he?" spoke up Miss Gerald. "Can't you enlighten me, -dear?" To the temperamental young thing. - -"I won't say a word," said the latter at a loss. "Only I'd like to tell -you"--to the monocle-man--"how much I like you." - -"I'm sorry to have displeased you," he answered simply. "You have really -a charming hand. As for the reason you ask"--to Miss Gerald--"it should -not be difficult to find. I conclude that Mr. Bennett asked Miss Dolly -to return the ring to Miss Gerald's room. I think that was what she was -trying to do and I'm afraid I prevented her." - -"But why should Mr. Bennett"--Gwendoline did not deign to address that -young man direct--"have asked Dolly to do that?" - -"Maybe," suggested the monocle-man, "Mr. Bennett will answer that -himself." - -"What's the use?" said Bob. "Nobody believes anything I say." Miss -Gwendoline still acted as if she did not see him. - -"If you take him to jail, I'm going too," remarked the temperamental -little thing. "If he's guilty, I--" - -"You suggest, then, he is guilty?" said the monocle-man quickly. - -"No; no! I--" - -"I fear you have suggested it," he interrupted pointedly. - -"If people confess do they get lighter sentences?" she asked with a -quick breath. - -"Usually," said the monocle-man. - -Jolly little pal pondered painfully. Perhaps she saw plainer than Bob -how clear was the case against him. "Why don't you?" she suggested. - -Bob smiled feebly. "The answer I make is the same one I gave to Miss -Gerald when I last spoke to her." - -A flame sprang to Gwendoline's cheek. - -"You dare say that now--with all this evidence against you?" She showed -herself keenly aware of his presence now. - -"I dare." He stepped to her side and looked into her eyes. "My eyes are -saying it now." - -The girl's breast stirred quickly. Did she fear he would say those words -aloud, before all the others? He was reckless enough to do so. - -"Do you understand or shall I make it plainer?" he asked, swinging back -his blond head. - -"I do not think that will be necessary," she answered with some -difficulty. - -"What _is_ it all about?" said the hammer-man, and there was a slight -frown on his brow. - -"You ought to know," returned Bob, as his eyes met swiftly the other's. -For a moment gaze encountered gaze. Bob's now was sardonically ironical, -yet challenging. The hammer-thrower's was mystified. Then the latter -shrugged. - -"Is he mad as well as a--" he spoke musingly. - -"Thief," said Bob. "Say it right out. I'm not afraid of the word." - -The hammer-thrower sighed heavily. "What are we to do?" he said to Miss -Gerald sympathetically. "It is needless to say, you can command me." - -"Isn't that lovely?" Sotto voce from Bob. - -"I'm terribly afraid the affair has passed from the joke stage," said -Gwendoline Gerald and once more she appeared cool and composed. Again -she made Bob feel he was but a matter for consideration--an intrusive -and unwelcome matter that had to be disposed of. "What ought I to do?" - -"Arrest me, of course," returned Bob. "I've been waiting for it for some -time. And the funny part is, the affair hasn't passed from the joke -stage. You know that." To the hammer-man. "Why don't you chuckle?" - -"I suppose I may as well tell you I'm a bogus lord," unexpectedly -interrupted the monocle-man at this moment. "My name is not even a -high-sounding one." The hammer-thrower started slightly. "It's plain -Michael Moriarity. But I was once a lord's valet." He had dropped his -drawl, though he still kept his monocle. "I am sorry to have intruded as -a real personage among you all, although there are plenty of bogus lords -floating through society." - -"Oh, you didn't deceive me," answered jolly little pal. "I knew who you -were." - -"Well, you certainly hoodwinked the rest of us," observed the -hammer-thrower slowly. He stood with his head down as if thinking -deeply. When he looked up, he gazed straight into the monocle-man's -eyes. They were twinkling and good-humored. An arrest in high society -was rather a ceremonious affair. You didn't take a man by the scruff of -the neck and yank him to the patrol wagon. There were polite formalities -to be observed. The end had to be accomplished without shocking or -disturbing the other guests. The truly artistic method would, in fact, -be the attainment of the result while the guests remained in absolute -ignorance, for the time being, of what had been done. - -"I'm afraid I've got to do my duty," observed the monocle-man to Bob. -"You look like a man who would play the game. A game loser, I mean?" -Suggestively. - -"Oh, I'm a loser all right," said Bob, looking at the hammer-man. For a -moment he wondered if he should speak further. He could imagine how his -words would be received. He didn't forget that he hadn't a shadow of -proof against the hammer-man. Miss Gerald would think he was accusing an -innocent person and she would despise him (Bob) only the more--if that -were possible. To speak would be but to court the contempt of the -others, the laughter of the hammer-man. Bob's thoughts were terribly -confused but he realized he might as well remain silent; indeed, perhaps -it would be better for the present. - -"Anyhow, what I told you wasn't so," said jolly little pal to the -monocle-man. "And I repeat I will never testify to it." She was awfully -dejected. - -"Yes, you will," said Bob monotonously. "As I told you, I won't let you -get into trouble." - -"Besides there's all that other evidence," suggested the monocle-man. - -"I can explain that away," returned Bob. Then he thought: Could he? -Would Dan and Clarence stand by him now and acknowledge it was they he -had let out of the house at that unseemly hour? He doubted it. Dickie, -too, wouldn't be very friendly. Their last conversation over the -telephone was far from reassuring. "No; I am not sure that I can," Bob -added. He still had to remember he was the impersonation of Truth. - -"You refer to Miss Gerald's having seen you wandering about the house -after the others had retired, I presume?" suggested the monocle-man, who -was enjoying the conversation immensely. It was the kind of a situation -he liked. He wouldn't have curtailed it for the world. When the -hammer-man heard the question, his brows lifted slightly. Surely a -momentary glint of gladness or satisfaction shone from his gaze. But it -receded at once. He listened attentively. - -"Yes, I was referring to that," answered Bob, gazing at Gwendoline. She, -condemn him to a prison cell! She, swear away his liberty! He gazed -wistfully, almost sadly at the sweet inexorable lips which might ruin -his life. He didn't feel resentful; he only determined to put up the -best fight he could when the time came. - -"Is--is it necessary to proceed to extremities?" said the hammer-man at -this point sedulously. "Would not the mere fact that we all know about -the matter be sufficient punishment?" He appealed to Miss Gerald. "My -father used to tell me that when a man was down, if we could see the way -to extend a helping hand, we would be doing the right thing. I think the -world is becoming more tolerant and there is a tendency to give a person -a chance to reform, instead of locking him up." - -Again Bob laughed. In spite of his unhappiness and that weight of -melancholy, the other's heavy humor tickled Bob's funny bone. Think of -the hammer-man pretending to try to keep Bob out of jail! Didn't he know -how to play his cards? The deadly joke was on Bob. - -"Don't appeal too hard in my behalf, old chap; you might strain -yourself," he said to the hammer-thrower. - -But the hammer-thrower pretended not to hear. He kept his sedulous, -humane glance on Miss Gerald. - -"You mean you would have my aunt take no action in the matter?" she -said, and the lovely face was now calm and thoughtful. - -"Please do!" This from jolly little pal. "Dear, dear Gwendoline! It'll -be such a favor to me. And I'll love you dearly." - -"You certainly are a very doughty champion of Mr. Bennett, Dolly," -observed Miss Gerald. There was a question in her look and her words -might have implied that Bob had been making love to the temperamental -little thing, even when he dared tell Miss Gerald he cared for her. -Gwendoline's face wore an odd smile now. - -"I'm not interested for the reason you think," answered the -temperamental little thing spiritedly. "He never made love to me--real -love. I tried to make him, because he is all that should appeal to any -woman, but he wouldn't," she went on tempestuously, regardlessly. "And -then we vowed we'd be pals and we are. And I'll stand by him to the last -ditch." - -"You are very loyal, dear," said Gwendoline quietly. - -"Besides, he's in love with some one else," she shot back, and Bob -shifted. There was a directness about jolly little pal that was -sometimes disconcerting. - -The hammer-man looked quickly toward Miss Gerald, and his eyes were full -of jealousy for an instant. He was not sorry that Bob was going to "get -his." Nevertheless, he would plead for him again, he wouldn't cease to -be consistent in his role. - -"I'll tell you who it is, too, if you want to know," the temperamental -little thing went on to Gwendoline. - -"My dear, I haven't asked. It seems to me," coldly, "we are slightly -drifting from the subject." - -"I believe you stated just now that you and Mr. Bennett vowed to be -pals," interposed the monocle-man regarding Miss Dolly. "Does that mean -you agreed to be accomplices--to divide the 'swag,' in the parlance of -the lower world?" The monocle-man was enjoying himself more and more. He -was finding new interest in the scene. It was more "meaty" than he had -dared hope. - -"She doesn't mean anything of the kind," put in Bob savagely. "She just -extended the hand of friendship. She's a good fellow, that is all, and I -won't have you imply the slightest thing against her. You understand -that, Mr. Bogus Lord?" - -"I only asked a question," observed the monocle-man humbly. - -"Well, you've got the answer." In the same aggressive manner. "She's -a--a brick and I won't have any harm come to her on my account." - -"None of us would have any harm come to Dolly," said Gwendoline coldly. - -"I wanted him to elope with me, but he wouldn't," went on the -temperamental little thing, thinking fast. Bob listened in despair. "I -didn't know then it was only friendship I felt. I thought it was love. -And when he refused, I was furious. To be revenged, I went to that -horrid man"--looking at him of the monocle--"and told him a pack of -lies." - -"Lies?" said the monocle-man, smiling sweetly and screwing his glass in -farther. - -"Yes, and that's the reason I shall give on the witness-stand." -Defiantly. "I'll tell the truth there--let every one know how horrid and -wicked I was." - -The monocle-man shook his head with mild disapproval. "What do you say -to that, Mr. Bennett?" he asked softly. - -"Of course I can't let her do anything to incriminate herself," answered -Bob mournfully. "To prevent her doing so I shall have to avow right -now--? and I do"--firmly--"that those were not lies, but truths she told -you." - -"Please!--please!--" said jolly little pal piteously. - -"Truths!" said Bob again boldly. - -Miss Dolly gave a great sigh. "Are you going to confess you are guilty -of all they charge?" - -"I am not." Stubbornly. "I am not guilty." - -"I'm rather afraid certain evidence, including Miss Dolly's truths, -which you acknowledge as such, might tend to show you are," suggested -the monocle-man. - -Again Miss Dolly thought fast. Bob wouldn't let her declare her -accusations of him lies; therefore only one alternative remained. - -"_I_ have a confession to make," she said solemnly. - -Bob looked startled. "Don't!--" he began. He wondered into what new -realm her inventive faculties would lead her. - -"Mr. Bennett," observed the monocle-man gravely, "I have to remind you -that anything you say can be used against you. And your manner now, in -seeking to restrain or interfere with what Miss Dolly has to say, will -certainly hurt your case." - -Bob groaned. He cast hunted eyes upon Miss Dolly. The jolly little pal -breathed hard, but there was a look of determination in the dark soulful -eyes. - -"Mr. Mike Something, or whatever your name is," she said to the -monocle-man in a low tense tone, "I am all that which you suggested." - -He overlooked the scornful mode of address. He rubbed his hands softly; -his eyes were pleased. "You mean about agreeing to be accomplices and to -divide the 'swag'?" - -"Yes." Fatalistically. - -Bob groaned again. - -The temperamental little thing looked up in the air. She would be mainly -responsible for sending Bob to jail--the thought burned. What was a -treacherous but repentant pal's duty under the circumstances? She had a -vision, too, of those adjoining cells. - -"You see," she began dreamily, "my father is rather sparing of the -spending money he allows me, and I have terribly extravagant tastes. -Why, my hats alone cost a fortune. I simply have got to have nice and -expensive things." Again Bob groaned. Dolly dreamed on: "I've -bushel-baskets of silk stockings, for example. See!" Displaying an -exquisite ankle. "My gowns all come from Paris. Gwendoline can tell you -that." Miss Gerald did not deny. "And they're not gowns from those -side-street dressmakers, either. They come from _the_ places on the rue -de la Paix. Besides"--Dolly's dream expanded--"I like to take things." -Another groan from Bob. "I think I'm a clepto." - -"There isn't one word of truth in what she's saying," exclaimed Bob -indignantly. "Why, it's outrageous. She doesn't realize what she's -doing." - -"Yes, I do," returned little pal with a stanch and loyal glance. "Why -should you take all the blame when I'm entitled to half of it?" - -"You aren't entitled to any of it," he retorted helplessly. "And there -isn't any blame for you to share, either." - -"Do you expect us to believe that?" observed the monocle-man -reproachfully. - -"No, I don't." - -"Or a jury?" - -"Perhaps not." - -"Really, old chap"--began the hammer-man sedulously, and he looked -awfully sorry. Perhaps he was going to extend his sympathy. - -"Say it in Latin!" interrupted Bob ungratefully. - -"What does he mean?" queried the monocle-man. - -"I'm really at a loss," answered the hammer-thrower. - -That gentleman had gleaned a great deal of information of a most -gratifying nature. He didn't know all the whys and wherefores, but it -was sufficient that Bob seemed too deep in the toils to extricate -himself. A happy (to the hammer-man) combination of circumstances had -involved the other. - -"Please let him go," again pleaded Miss Dolly to Gwendoline. "Be a dear. -Besides, think how he--" She went over to Miss Gerald suddenly and -whispered two words--two ardent electrical words! - -Gwendoline's eyes flashed but she did not answer. One of the -hammer-thrower's hands closed. - -"I fear Miss Gerald couldn't do that now, if she wanted to," interposed -the monocle-man. "It isn't altogether her affair or her aunt's. You see, -there are other people who gave those other social functions Mr. Bennett -attended. They may not incline to be sentimentally--I may say foolishly -lenient. So you see even if I desired to oblige a lady"--bowing to Dolly -"whom I esteem very much, my hands are tied. Justice, in other words, -must take its course." - -Bob looked at Gwendoline. "Some day, Miss Gerald, you may realize you -helped, or tried to help, convict an innocent man." - -"She doesn't care," said the temperamental little thing vehemently. -"She's got a stone for a heart." Only that cryptic smile on the proud -beautiful lips answered this outbreak. The jolly little pal went right -over to her again. "Anyhow," she said, "he kissed me." - -Just for an instant Miss Gerald's sweeping lashes lifted to Bob. Just -for an instant, too, Miss Gerald's white teeth buried themselves in that -proud red upper lip. Miss Dolly turned to the monocle-man. "Now, I'm -ready to go with you," she said. - -"Oh, I don't want you"--then he added "yet! You will appreciate, Mr. -Bennett"--turning to Bob--"that the more quietly--I want to show you all -the consideration possible--" - -"I'll go quietly," muttered Bob. "No use raising a row! I'll go like a -gentleman. I'll make myself as little obnoxious and objectionable to the -rest of Mrs. Ralston's guests as possible." Bitterly. "Good-by, Miss -Gerald." That young lady didn't answer. "Won't you say good-by?" -repeated Bob. There was a gleam of great pleasure in the -hammer-thrower's eyes now. Bob had involuntarily put out his hand but -Miss Gerald would not see it. Indeed, she turned farther from him, as if -annoyed by Bob's persistence. Bob's hand fell to his side, he drew -himself up. - -"I am ready, sir," he said quietly to the monocle-man. - -"Perhaps it would be as well if you accompanied us," observed the -monocle-man to the hammer-thrower. - -"Certainly." The other understood. Bob was strong and he might change -his mind and be less lamblike before reaching his destination. "It's a -disagreeable job at best," murmured the hammer-thrower, "but I suppose I -ought to see it through." - -"It's nice of you," said Miss Gerald in a low dull tone. - -A moment Bob's eyes gleamed dangerously, then he seemed to realize the -presence of Miss Gerald's other guests once more and his handsome blond -head dropped. "I guess it's your turn," he said to the hammer-man. - -Miss Dolly looked at the composed proud girl with the "heart of stone." -The temperamental little thing's hands were tightly closed. Suddenly -once more she bent over to whisper--this time viciously--to Miss Gerald. -"He kisses beautifully," she breathed. "And--and I hate you!" Miss -Gerald did not answer; nor did she turn to regard Bob who quietly moved -away now with the monocle-man and the hammer-thrower. - - - - - CHAPTER XXII--A REAL BENEFACTOR - - -Bob, the hammer-thrower and the monocle-man together entered the little -station-house in the village. It wasn't much of a lock-up, but it was -big enough to hold Bob and a few others, one of whom had just been -released as the trio of new-comers walked in. His eye fell on Bob. - -"That's my man," he exclaimed excitedly. "That's my escaped patient." - -"Yes, that's he!" affirmed a second voice--that of the commodore. - -"Got him this time!" came jubilantly from another side of the bare room, -and Bob gazing, with no show of emotion, in that direction, discovered -Dickie and Clarence were there too. - -"Put me in the padded cell, would you?" said the maniac-medico -furiously. "I'll see where you go. Come on. The car is waiting. There -won't be any window-bouquets this time, I promise you." - -Bob didn't answer. He didn't much care what they said. - -"I got Gee-gee on the phone," went on Dan viciously, "and she has it all -down in black and white, she tells me. The legal light up there has -attended to that. A parcel of outrageous falsehoods! The audacity of -that girl, too! When I showed her the enormity of her conduct, she only -gave a merry little laugh. Said she was terribly fond of me, the minx! -And would I come and sit in the front row when she was a bright and -scintillating star?" - -"And she said Gid-up wanted to know if I wouldn't like to gaze upon that -cute little freckle once more?" added Clarence in choked tones. - -"And all that, on account of you!" exclaimed the commodore, throwing out -his arms and looking at the culprit. Dickie didn't say anything at the -moment. He only glared. - -Bob regarded the three with lack-luster gaze. He felt little interest in -them now. - -"Take him away!" said Dan, breathing hard. "Or I may do him an injury." - -"Give him what's coming to him," breathed Dickie hoarsely. "He's got my -girl hypnotized." - -"Come on," said the maniac-medico sternly to Bob. "Let's waste no more -time." - -"Hold on," spoke the monocle-man quietly. "You are a little premature, -gentlemen." - -"What do _you_ want to butt in for?" demanded the commodore aggressively -of the monocle-man. - -"Mr. Bennett has accompanied me here as my prisoner. Am I not right?" -Appealing to the hammer-thrower. - -"Correct," said that gentleman regretfully. - -"What's he been doing besides wrecking homes?" asked the commodore. - -"A few articles of jewelry have been missing at Mrs. Ralston's," said -the hammer-thrower in that same tone. "It's a very regrettable affair. -Miss Gerald, for example, lost her ring and it was traced to Mr. -Bennett." - -Bob stood it patiently. He wondered if his day would ever come. - -"So?-- He's the merry little social-highwayman, is he?" observed Dan. -"The best I can say is, don't make a hero of him. Give him some real, -old-fashioned justice." - -"I'm afraid I can't honestly extend my sympathy to you," remarked -Clarence to Bob stiffly. - -"I'm not sorry," said Dickie frankly. "I'm glad. Anyhow, Miss Dolly will -despise you now." With a ring of triumph in his voice. - -"No, she won't," observed Bob, breaking silence for the first time. "It -was being what people think I am that made her fall in love with me." He -didn't want Dickie to feel too good. He remembered that unsportsmanlike -punch. "She's my dear jolly little pal," Bob went on, "and she wanted to -occupy an adjoining cell." - -Dickie went up to Bob. "I'd like to give you another," he said in his -nastiest accents. - -"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" It was the voice of the man at the desk. -Authority now spoke. Up to now, amazement had held authority -tongue-tied. "The prisoner came quietly, Mr. Moriarity?" Authority knew, -then, the monocle-man. Evidently the two had a secret understanding. -"Has he confessed?" "Not as yet," said the monocle-man significantly. - -"And I'm not going to," spoke up Bob succinctly to the magistrate. "I'm -not guilty." - -"Then who is?" asked the monocle-man. - -"You've got your hand on his arm," said Bob in that same forcible -manner. The time had come for him to assert himself, however ridiculous -his affirmation might sound. Authority should have the truth. Bob -blurted it out fearlessly, holding his head well up as he spoke. "You've -got your hand on his arm," he repeated. - -Mr. Moriarity's reply quite took their breath away, especially Bob's. -"Guess you're right," he said promptly, and something bright gleamed in -his hand. "Don't move," he said to the hammer-thrower. - -"But aren't you going to lock _him_ up at all?" asked the commodore in -disappointed tones, indicating Bob, after the monocle-man had shown the -hammer-thrower a warrant for his (the hammer-thrower's) arrest, and had, -at the conclusion of certain formalities, caused that dazed and angry -individual to be led away. - -"I am certainly not going to lock Mr. Bennett up," laughed the -monocle-man who was in the best of humors. - -The coup seemed to him a lovely one. For months he had been on the trail -of the hammer-thrower. He told Bob--as dazed and bewildered as the -hammer-thrower by the unexpected turn of events--all about it later. He -had certainly taken an artistic way to complete the affair. And later, -not that night, Bob learned, too, that it was Miss Gerald herself who -had suggested the way, she having inherited some of the managerial -genius of her father. Maybe, she was not averse to Bob's suffering a -little after the wholly-intolerable way he had comported himself toward -her and others of her aunt's guests. Maybe cruelty had mingled somewhat -with retaliation. Proud, regal young womanhood sometimes can be cruel. -But Bob probably deserved all those twinges and pangs and mournful -emotions she had caused him. No one certainly had ever talked to her as -he had done. - -"May I sit down?" said Bob at length to the magistrate. He felt rather -tired. - -Authority gave him permission to sit. "Well, if you're not going to lock -him up," said that maniac-med., looking viciously at Bob, "I am." - -"No, you're not," observed the monocle-man easily. "Mr. Bennett is my -friend. He has helped me immensely in this affair. Had he not projected -his rather impetuous personality into it, certain difficulties would not -have been smoothed out so easily. He created a diversion which threw the -prisoner, naturally deep and resourceful, somewhat off his guard. But -for Mr. Bennett's whimsical and, at times, diverting conduct," with a -smile at Bob, "my fight against him," nodding toward the cell, "might -not have culminated quite so soon. So," he added to the enraged medico, -"Mr. Bennett has my full moral support, and, I may say," touching the -pocket into which he had returned that something bright, "my physical -support as well." "But what about the treatment I have received?" -stormed the med. "Locked up like--?" - -"You shouldn't have been prowling around. Anyhow, I shall advise my good -friend, Mr. Bennett, that should you seek to annoy him further, or to -lay a single finger on him, he will have an excellent case for damages. -I can explain away a great deal that is inexplicable to the rest of you, -and that explanation will serve fully to rehabilitate Mr. Bennett in the -esteem of certain people as a not unnormal person. How far I can restore -his popularity," with a laugh, "is another matter." - -Bob stared straight ahead. "How did you do it?" he said to the -monocle-man. "What made you certain?" - -"I saw him place the ring in your pocket. Feel here," walking over to -Bob. The latter felt where the other indicated. "A little vest-pocket -camera!" said the monocle-man softly. "I photographed the act--the -outstretched hand with the ring in it!--you, unsuspecting, half -sprawling over the green felt of the table! your coat tails inviting the -ring--Besides, one of my men took the place of that outside-operator and -received a certain little article of jewelry that night you came -blundering back to Mrs. Ralston's. We nabbed the outside-operator -and--well, he's told certain things." With satisfaction. "We have, in -short, a clear case." - -Bob held his head. "It's whirling," he said. "I'll get some things -straightened out after a little, I suppose." - -"That's right," observed the monocle-man. - -"There are some things you can't straighten out," said Dan in an ugly -tone. "This is all very well for you, but what about us?" - -Just at that moment there was a flutter of skirts at the door. - - * * * * * - -Gee-gee and Gid-up came in, the former in a state of great agitation. - -"How dared you?" she gasped, going up to the monocle-man and standing -with arms akimbo. - -"Send you that note, commanding your presence here?" said the -monocle-man. "I dared, my dear," he added slowly, "because I hold the -cards." - -"Don't you 'dear' me," she retorted stormily. - -"I wouldn't, seriously," he returned. "It might be dangerous. Women like -you are dangerous, you know. I fancy our friends here," glancing toward -the commodore and Clarence, "have found that out. But it will be a -lesson. 'We'll never wander more from our own fireside,'" he hummed. - -"Well," said Gee-gee, shaking her auburn tresses, "those were pretty -bold statements of what you could do to me, in that note you sent." - -"They were true, my dear." - -The green eyes flared. Gee-gee was shaking all over. Gid-up looked -rather frightened. - -"Take it easy," said the monocle-man. - -"I'd like to see you prove what you can do," she returned. "You say I -have framed-up a lot of false-hoods--a tissue of lies--in that affidavit -the lawyer at Mrs. Ralston's drew up. I tell you they're all true." Dan -looked weak. "Everything I've told happened just at I said it did, and -he knows it." Pointing a finger at the commodore. - -"I wonder if I ought not to put you in jail now?" said the monocle-man -meditatively. "There's a cell vacant next to the hammer-thrower. You -would be congenial spirits." - -"It's proofs I'm asking, Mr. Detective," retorted Gee-gee, apparently -not greatly abashed by this threat. She was accustomed to hitting back. - -"Yes, it's proofs," said Gid-up, but in weaker accents. - -The monocle-man shook a reproving finger at Gid-up. "You're in bad -company, my dear," he observed. "You're out of Gee-gee's class. You're -just trying to be in it." - -"I don't want any of your impertinence," answered Gid-up with a faint -imitation of Gee-gee's manner. "He's a proper bad one." Pointing to -Clarence who presented a picture of abject misery. "And when I tell all -the things he done to me--" - -"But you won't tell them." - -"I have." Defiantly. "In that paper the lawyer drew up." - -"But you're going to sign a little paper I have here, repudiating all -that," he answered her. - -"Oh, am I?" Elevating her turned-up nose. - -"You are." Blandly. - -"Guess again," said Gid-up saucily. - -"You can't prove what we told in that affidavit isn't true," reaffirmed -Gee-gee. Only she and Gid-up could know it was a "frame-up"; they had -builded carefully and were sure of their ground. "We know our rights and -we're going to have them. We're not afraid of you." - -"Then why are you here?" quietly. - -"That lawyer at the house said we might as well see you, just to call -your bluff. He said, since we had told the truth, we had nothing to -fear." - -"I don't think you're quite so confident as you seem," observed the -monocle-man. "My note awoke a little uneasiness, or you wouldn't be -here. This young lady," turning to Gid-up, "suffered a mild case of -stage fright, if I am any judge of human nature." - -"Me?" said Gid-up. "I defy you." - -"Here's the answer," replied the monocle-man, taking another paper from -his pocket. - -"What's that?" said Gee-gee scornfully. "I suppose it's some lies from -him." Alluding to the commodore. "The lawyer told me to be prepared for -them." - -"No; it isn't that. It's only a stenographic report of a conversation -you and your friend had together in your room, the night you arrived at -Mrs. Ralston's." - -"A stenographic report? Nonsense!" Sharply. Gee-gee remembered all about -that conversation. "How could you--" - -"There's a dictograph in the room you occupied, my dear," observed the -monocle-man. - -"A dic--" Gee-gee seemed to turn green. "Good Gawd!" she said. - - * * * * * - -It wasn't very long thereafter that Gee-gee and Gid-up departed. - -"Back to the old life!" said Gee-gee wearily. "And just when I thought -my ambition to be a star was coming true." - -"Life is sure tough," observed Gid-up, abandoning her society manner. - -"I'm sick of the whole thing. Got a mind to jump in the river." - -"Gas for me!" from poor Gid-up wearily. - -"No, you won't. And I won't. We'll just go on. Lord! how long." - -"Anyhow, that detective promised to introduce us to a real Russian grand -duke who's in old New York. Maybe we can get in the papers on that." - -"Perhaps." More thoughtfully from Gee-gee. "It wasn't so worse of the -detective to promise that, after he'd got us down and walked on us." - -"You must make dukie drink out of your slipper," suggested Gid-up. "The -detective said he was mad after beautiful stage girls. Grand dukes -always are." Hopefully. "And if you do make him do that, it would be -heralded from coast to coast." - -"It's as good as done," said Gee-gee confidently. "It'll prove me a -great actress, sure." In a brighter tone. - -"I always said you had talent," remarked Gid-up. - -"Cheese it," retorted Gee-gee elegantly. "Ain't you the fond flatterer!" - -"Anyhow, I'm glad I don't have to do society talk any more," said -Gid-up, and stuck a piece of gum in her mouth. - -"Yes," said Gee-gee, "my jaws is most broke." - -"Maybe you'd better tighten up your hobble a little for dukie," -suggested Gid-up. - -"Have to stand still the rest of my life if I did," observed Gee-gee, -swishing along about six inches a step. - -"You could divide it a little." - -"So I could." - -By this time they had forgotten about the river, or taking gas. The duke -had already become a real person in their lives and they talked on, -devising stunts for his Vivacious Greatness. By this time, too, the -monocle-man seemed to them a real benefactor. - -Meanwhile the "real benefactor" had been reading from that stenographic -report to Dan and the others. The commodore nearly jumped out of his -boots for joy. - -"Read that again," he said. - -The monocle-man, reading: "'This ain't half bad enough. You think up -something now, Gee-gee.' - -"'Doping a poor little thing is always good stuff to spring on a jury, -Gid-up. And you could make yourself up young with your hair done up in a -pigtail, with a cute little baby-blue bow on the end.' - -"'But that sounds old, Gee-gee. You can sure invent something new--'" -etc., etc. - -The monocle-man finished reading and laid down the paper. "There you -are, gentlemen," he observed in a lively tone. "The stenographers will -swear to that. They were dressed as house-maids, but at night and on -certain occasions, they used one of the rooms Mrs. Ralston placed at my -disposal as an office. When I came down here I didn't expect to be -involved in a domestic drama. It rather forced itself upon me. It came -as part of the day's work. I overheard your conversation with Miss Dolly -that night." Significantly to Bob. That young gentleman flushed. - -"I have taken the liberty of destroying the report of that conversation, -I may add. Miss Dolly is charming." With a smile. "I, also, had a record -of your conversation with these three gentlemen"--indicating Dan, -Clarence and Dickie--"after they entered your room one night, via the -trellis and the window. That conversation introduced me into the -domestic drama. I became an actor in it whether I would or not. But for -my whispered instructions to one of my assistants in the garden, you -three gentlemen would have been arrested." Dan stared at Clarence in -momentary consternation. "You did not need the golf-club because my man -removed the dog." - -"It seems," said Dan effusively to the monocle-man, "you have been our -good angel. If any remuneration--?" - -"No," answered the monocle-man. "What I have done for you was only -incidental and my reward was the enjoyment I got out of the affair--in -watching how the threads crossed and recrossed, and how they tangled and -untangled. It was better than going to a show. It made work a pleasure. -Besides, I shall be well rewarded for what I have accomplished in -another direction." Looking toward the cell. - -"I tried to get him in England and failed. In France, the story was the -same. He is rather a remarkable personality. A born criminal and an -actor, as well! Of good family, he wedged his way into society, through -the all-round amateur athletic route. He was generally well liked." Bob -thought of Miss Gerald and looked down. He couldn't help wondering if -she would not greatly have preferred his (Bob's) occupying that cell, -instead of the other man who had seemed to interest her so much. - -"Now for Mrs. Dan," observed the commodore, jubilantly waving the -stenographic report. "This will bring her to time." - -"And my wife, too!" said Clarence with equal joy. - -"I thought I would save you gentlemen some trouble and so have already -placed the report in the ladies' hands," said the monocle-man affably. -"Indeed, they came to me afterward and told me they had been shamefully -deceived. Mrs. Dan looked as if she had had a good cry--from joy, no -doubt. Mrs. Clarence's voice was tremulous. Same cause, I am sure. I -think you will find them contrite and anxious to make up." - -"This is great," said Dan. - -"Glorious!" observed Clarence. - -"Think of it! No public disgrace!" - -"No being held up as monsters in the press!" - -"It's too good to be true." The commodore threw out his arms and -advanced toward the monocle-man. - -But the latter waved him away. "Save your embraces for your wives," he -observed. - -"I love all the world," said Dan. - -"Me, too!" from Clarence. - -"I presume I am free to take my departure, gentlemen?" said Bob, rising. - -"You are free as the birds of the air for all of me," answered the -monocle-man. - -"Hold on one moment," begged the commodore. "No; I'm not going to detain -you forcibly. As a friend I ask you to wait." Bob paused. "I'm a good -fellow," said Dan effusively, "and I don't wish the world harm. I don't -want you to go wandering around any more as you are. Why, you're a -regular Frankenstein. You're an iron automaton that goes about trampling -on people. After all I've gone through, I have charity toward others. I -won't have you treading on people's finer sensibilities and smashing -connubial peace and comfort all to splinters." - -"But what can I do?" suggested Bob. He meant the three weeks weren't yet -up. - -"Here's what I propose to Clarence and Dickie. I see now you'll win, -anyhow. You've got the grit and the nerve. So as long as we have simply -got to pay in the end, why not do so at once and so spare others? -That'll be the way I'll pay him." Alluding to the monocle-man. "It's my -way of showing my gratitude for what he's done. And now I think of it, I -can't see that I ought to blame you so much, Bob, for all that has -transpired." - -"Oh, you don't?" With faint irony. - -"No; you only did what you had to, and maybe we were a little rough. -Forget it." The commodore extended his hand. - -The act melted Bob. He took it. "Good friends, once more!" chirped Dan, -and extended an arm to include Clarence. "You've won. The money's fairly -yours, Bob. Only as a personal favor, I ask you to be, at once, as you -were. Be your old natural self immediately." - -"I'll pay my share to have him that way again," said Clarence heartily. -"I want to spare the world too. Besides, he's won all right enough." - -"It's three weeks or nothing from me," said Dickie. "You chaps may want -to spare the world, but I don't want to spare him." - -"I'll pay for Dickie," replied good old Dan. "And gladly!" - -Dickie shrugged. Dan wrote out a check. "Congratulations!" he said. "And -for us, too!" Turning to Clarence. "Think of the thousands in alimony it -might have cost us!" - -"We've simply got to call a halt on old Bob," said Clarence fervently. -"Bet's off! We lose." - -Bob took the check. "I believe I am entitled to it, for I certainly -would have stuck it out now. I am sure I wouldn't do it all over again, -though, for ten times the amount. Nevertheless, I thank you." He shook -himself. "Free! Isn't it great? Will you do something for me?" To the -monocle-man. - -"Gladly," was the reply. "I was secretly informed of that wager of yours -and I was immensely interested in your little social experiment. You see -I make my living by prevarication and subterfuges. And that"--with a -laugh--"is more than a man can make by telling the truth. It's a wicked -world. Fraud and humbug are trumps." - -"What I want you to do," said Bob, ignoring this homily, "is to express -my grip to New York. Also, tell Miss Gerald that I've gone and kindly -thank Mrs Ralston and Miss Gerald for asking me down." - -"Why don't you thank them yourself?" - -"I think they would be more pleased if I complied with the formalities -by proxy." - -"Shall I add you had a charming time?" - -"You may use your own judgment." - -Bob walked to the door. - -"I guess it's I who am crazy," said the maniac-doctor, again waking up. - - - - - CHAPTER XXIII--MAKING GOOD - - -Bob sent dad a modest-sized check the next day. "Result of hustling," he -wrote. "Spend freely. There'll be more coming presently." Then Bob went -down on the narrow road that isn't straight, but that has a crook in it. -He stopped somewhere near the crook, and entering an office greeted a -melancholy-looking man who had "bad business" and "country going to pot" -written all over his face. The melancholy man was a club acquaintance. - -"What's the most abused and worst thing on the street that isn't -straight?" said Bob debonairly. - -"That's right. Call us names," replied the melancholy man with a sigh. -"Everybody's doing it." - -"Have you got something so awful people turn their heads away when you -speak of it?" - -"There's the Utopian," observed the other. "Only a buzzard would get -near it." - -"Do they call the promoter a thief?" - -"They do." - -"And is he crazy?" - -"He is. It's either jail or a lunatic asylum for him." - -Bob handed what was left of the commodore's check to the melancholy man. -"Buy Utopian," he said. - -"All right," answered the melancholy man listlessly. He was beyond -feeling any emotion. - -"I believe in Utopian," observed Bob. "I have here," touching his -forehead, "inside information that it is an excellent little railroad -property." - -"Oh, it isn't a railroad," said the melancholy man. "It's--" - -"Don't tell me what it is," retorted Bob. "Repeat some of those things -the world calls the promoter." - -The melancholy man was obliging. - -"Heavens! He must be an awful honest man!" said Bob and started toward -the door, where he turned. "Pyramid with the profits." And Bob walked -out. - -That afternoon he went to a real-estate man and asked where he could -lease a small factory. While at college he had invented a small -appliance for automobiles, which he felt sure was good and would commend -itself to manufacturers. Bob knew about all there was to know about a -car. After he had looked at several old deserted buildings on the -outskirts, any one of which might answer his purpose, Bob strolled into -a number of automobile agencies near Columbus Square, and showed them -his little patent. The men in charge were willing to express an opinion; -several appeared interested. Of course, Bob would ultimately have to go -to the "higher-ups," but he wanted first to find out what these -practical chaps thought. One of them even asked Bob if he wanted a -partner? Bob didn't. He had all the capital needed, he replied. - -He was taking a serious sober view of life now. He felt himself no -longer "darn fool Bob," or careless Bob, or lazy Bob. He might have done -something with his little device long ago, but he had forgotten all -about it. Its creation had been a passing whim. Bob really had a good -head for machinery though, and now he was beginning to feel out his -path. He wanted to work hard, too, which was a novel sensation. It felt, -also, like a permanent sensation. Meeting several chaps, he refused -their invitations to partake of the sparkling, much to their surprise, -as heretofore he had been a prince of good fellows. Henceforth, however, -he was going to be king of himself. - -That night, in the old home, in the old square, Dolly called him up by -telephone. - -"How _could_ you disappoint me so!" said jolly little pal. "The idea of -your just pretending to be a burglar." - -"Me, pretend?" Bob laughed. "I say, that's good. Didn't I tell you all -along I wasn't?" - -"But why didn't you _make_ me believe you weren't?" retorted little pal -reproachfully. "To think of your deceiving me like that!" - -"Deceive you? That's good, too. Why, I told you again and again I was -just a plain ordinary person. You were just bound to idealize me!" - -There was a brief pause. "Are you so disappointed in me, you are going -to disown me now?" continued Bob. - -"No-a. I'm still your jolly little pal. Only to think though, there -never was a chance for those adjoining cells, after all!" - -"Well, there seemed a good chance, anyhow." - -"Yes, it was nice and exciting while it lasted." The temperamental -little thing sighed. "It's awful humdrum up here now." - -Bob didn't ask any questions about the people up there. "You ought to -have fallen in love with the hammer-thrower," he said. "He was the real -thing." - -"I suppose I should have," she seemed to agree. "Wasn't I stupid? Never -mind. Say something nice." - -"Like you," said Bob. - -"Heaps? I need cheering." - -"Heaps." - -"Much obliged. You're awfully good. What are you doing this evening?" - -"I was sitting by the fire in dad's old-fashioned den, thinking and -dreaming." - -"All alone?" - -"Entirely." - -"What were you thinking of?" - -"Machinery. And a factory." - -"And will it have a tall chimney that belches smoke?" - -"I trust ultimately to attain to the kind of a chimney you refer to. At -present, I shall have to content myself with a comparatively -insignificant one. I have visions of a chimney four hundred feet high -some day." - -"Belching ugly smoke?" - -"It won't look ugly to me. It'll look blissful." - -The biggest sigh of all quivered from afar. "Another dream shattered! -My! but I'm growing up fast. I feel a million years old. Anyhow, I'll -never marry Dickie." - -"Wouldn't if I were you. He doesn't fight fair. Before he got through -he'd have all your dad's chimneys, as well as his own, and then he'd put -you on an allowance. You'd have to account for every pin and needle you -bought." - -"Yes; I know. When I do find the right man I'll bring him to you and let -you pass in judgment. You shall tell me whether I can or can't." - -"All right--though isn't that rather a paternal prerogative?" - -"Oh, dad always lets me do what I want. You're the only man that has -ever dared oppose me." - -"But suppose I did oppose you in a matter of such importance?" - -Miss Dolly thought. "We won't cross that bridge before we come to it. -You said you were thinking _and_ dreaming. I know what you were thinking -about. Now, what were you dreaming about all by your lonely, sitting by -the fire?" - -Bob was glad he didn't have to blurt out the truth any more. He evaded. -"Did I say dreaming?" he asked. - -"You did. Was it of some one?" - -"Pooh! What nonsense!" - -"Oh, it isn't nonsense to do that." - -"I was only thinking of chimneys and things like that," returned Bob. -That was an out-and-outer. He shuddered to think of the answer he would -have had to make a few days ago. - -"Never mind," said the jolly little pal. "You needn't tell me. There are -some things we keep locked up, forever and ever, in the inner sanctums -of our hearts, aren't there?" Sadly. "And we die and they are buried -with us. Oh, dear! I'm beginning to feel dreadful. Only jolly little pal -is awfully sorry." For him, she meant. Bob winced. "I hate to think of -you sitting there, poor dear, all alone, and--and--" - -"I'm having a bully time--honest," said Bob. "I really am. I'm planning -out my future. I'm going to do something. I'm tired of being nothing. -I'll work right with the workmen at first." - -"And you will be all perspirey and covered with soot?" In horror. - -"I'll be worse than that. I'll be sweaty and covered with soot," said -Bob practically. - -Dolly groaned. "It seems to me as if everything is upside down." - -"No. Downside down. 'Life is real; life is earnest,'" he quoted, -laughing. - -"Oh, dear! That solemn sound! I can tell you are terribly determined." -He did not answer. "Well, good-by, great, big, perspirey--I mean sweaty, -sooty old pal!" - -"Good-by, Dolly. And thank you for calling me up. It did me good to hear -little pal's voice. Wish me luck." - -"I'll send you a horseshoe to-morrow," she laughed. And then suddenly, -as an afterthought-- "By the way, I have a 'fession to make." - -"All right. 'Fess ahead." - -"Well, I don't suppose I really and truly--deep down, you know--actually -ever did quite think you were a regular burglar. I guess it was the -dramatic situation that appealed to me. I've often thought I had -'histrionic ability' and you did make such a big, bold, handsome, -darling make-believe burglar to play with, I just couldn't resist." - -"I understand!" said Bob. "I guess--deep down--I guessed as much." And -rang off. - -Bob went back to the fireplace. Was he dreaming now or only thinking? -Dolly's voice had taken him back to Mrs. Ralston's, and the coals now -framed a face. He looked quickly from them, his eyes following the smoke -of his pipe. But the smoke now framed the face. Bob half-closed his eyes -an instant, then resolutely he laid down his pipe and went to bed. Dad -had closed the rather spacious old-fashioned house when he went away, -and a momentary feeling of loneliness assailed Bob, as he realized there -was no other person in the place, but he fought it down. Work was his -incentive now--hard work-- - -The next day he learned they had lodged the promoter in jail. The big -men had gone gunning for him, and, as usual, they got him. They got the -"Utopian," too. They took that because there wasn't anything else to -take. Incidentally, they discredited the broker's statement that no one -but a buzzard would go near it. Or, maybe, some of the big men were -buzzards in disguise. Anyhow, they had the Utopian on their hands, and -after they had settled with the promoter who had dared cross the trail -of the big interests in his operations, they poked their fingers into -Utopian and prodded it and examined it more carefully and discovered -that with "honest judicial management" and a proper application of more -funds that which had been but an odorous prospect might be converted -into a "property." The promoter had taken funds which he shouldn't so he -was out of their way, until he got pardoned. - -The Utopian accordingly now began to soar. There were plenty of people -who would sniff at it in its new aspect, and take a bite, too. A shoal -of speculators wanted to get aboard. That "honest management" was a -bait; that "property" probability became a "sure thing." Big names were -juggled in little offices. The usual thing happened--just one of those -common occurrences hardly worth describing--only later it would probably -be included in a congressional investigation and there would be a few -reverberations at Albany. Bob pulled out in about two days. - -"How'd you know?" said the broker. - -"Fellow feeling. Been called a thief and a crazy man, myself." - -"What you want to buy now? The next rankest thing I know of is--" - -Bob shook his head. "Never again. Good-by forever." - -"Good-by," said the melancholy man. He thought he would see Bob down -there again some day, but he never did. Bob went to a bank and opened an -account. He wasn't exactly rich but he had a nice comfortable feeling. -Moreover he expected to build solidly. He leased the factory and then he -went to work. Dad came home. He didn't seem much interested in what Bob -was doing. He loafed around and told fish stories. Bob got up about five -a.m. but dad didn't arise until nine. Sometimes he had his breakfast in -bed and had his man bring him the newspaper. Bob didn't have a man, -though he soon began to prosper. The device was considered necessary in -the trade; it proved practical. - -Bob added to his factory and built a fair-sized chimney. Dreamily he -wondered if it would realize jolly little chum's idea of a chimney. He -had to cut out all the social functions now for he was so tired when he -got home he wanted only his dinner and his pipe and bed. Dad, however, -stayed out late. He remarked once he thought he would learn to tango. -Bob never knew though whether he carried out the idea or not. - -The newspapers, a few months later, apprised Bob that Gee-gee had landed -the grand duke. A snapshot revealed him imbibing from Gee-gee's -Cinderella slipper. Possibly the grand duke was enraged over the -snap-shot. More likely, however, he didn't care; he was so high up he -could do anything and snap his fingers at the world. Bob permitted -himself a little recreation; out of mild curiosity, he went to see -Gee-gee. She now had a fair-sized part and was talked about. -Incidentally, she had acquired a few additional wriggles. - -His Vivacious Highness sat in a box and Gee-gee wriggled mostly for him. -She hardly looked at the audience, but the audience didn't act offended. -It applauded. Gee-gee's dream had come true. She was a star. And to her -credit she reached out a helping hand to Gid-up. The latter now said -more than "Send for the doctor." She had eight lines--which was -certainly getting on some. Bob, however, didn't notice Dan or Clarence -in the audience. They were probably billing and cooing at home now. Only -grand dukes can afford to toy with Gee-gees. Bob didn't stay to see and -hear it all for a little of Gee-gee went a long way, and besides, he had -to get up early. Dad though, who accompanied Bob, said he would stay -right through. - -Once on Fifth Avenue, Bob passed Miss Gerald; she was just getting out -of her car. An awful temptation seized him to stop, but he managed to -suppress it, for he had himself fairly in hand by this time. He saw they -would almost meet, but there were many people and, in the press, he -didn't have to see her. So he didn't. He felt sure she would cut him if -he did. It was the first foolish thing he had done for some time; he -realized that when he got away. But what was he to do? He objected to -being cut, and by her, of all persons. He regretted the incident very -much. It hurt his pride and, of course, he had earned her dislike. - -Bob hied him factoryward and toiled mightily that day. It was -work--work--though to what end? If he only knew! He had tried to tell -himself that he was learning to forget, that he was becoming reconciled -to the inevitable, but that quick glimpse he had caught of her from a -distance, before he drifted by with the others, had set his pulses -tingling. For a moment now Bob gave way to dreaming; the day was almost -done. He sat with his head on his hand and his elbow on the desk. He had -shown he was more than a dancing man. He would now have to fight an even -harder battle. He would have to take her out of his heart and mind. - -But he couldn't do that. It was impossible, when his whole nature -clamored for her. He yielded now to the dubious luxury of thinking of -her. He hoped he wouldn't see her again and then gradually he would win -in that fight against nature--or do his best to. Yes; he must do his -best; he must, he repeated to himself, closing a firm hand resolutely. -Then he started and stared--at a vision standing before him. - -"Why did you cut me to-day?" - - - - - CHAPTER XXIV--AT THE PORTALS - - -It was some time before Bob recovered sufficiently to answer. -Fortunately they were alone in Bob's private office. From below came the -sound of hammers, but that and the dingy surroundings did not seem to -disconcert her. She looked at Bob coldly, the violet eyes full of -directness. - -"I--well, I feared you would cut me," stammered Bob. "Won't--won't you -sit down?" - -"No, thank you. At least, not yet. I," accusingly, "am not accustomed to -being cut, and if any of my friends cut me, I want to know why. That's -why I am here." - -She was her father's daughter at that moment--straight, forceful. - -"But," said Bob eagerly, looking once more the way he used to, before he -had got into this sobering business of manufacturer, "that's just the -point. You see I felt I had somehow forfeited my right to be one of your -friends. I felt out of the pale." - -"Do you think you deserve to forfeit the right?" - -"I--perhaps. I don't know. I'm very confused about all that happened at -your aunt's place." - -Was that the shadow of a smile on the proud lips? Bob wasn't looking at -her. He dared not. He was talking to a drawing of his device. - -"Perhaps you have heard of that confounded wager," he went on. "I told -you why I--I didn't want to see you. At least, I think I did." - -"I have a vague impression of something of the kind," said the girl. - -"And there you are," observed Bob helplessly. "It was an awful muddle, -all right. You certainly punished me some, though. Honestly, if I -offended you, you did get back good and hard." - -"Did I?" said she tentatively. "Is that a drawing of it on the wall?" -She was looking at the device. - -"Yes. That's what I make." - -"Won't you show me around?" - -Bob did, walking as in a dream among the dingy workmen who paused as the -vision passed. For a long time they talked--just plain ordinary talk. -Then he told her how he was inventing something else and Miss Gerald -listened while all differences seemed magically to have dropped between -them. Drinking deep of the joy of the moment, Bob yielded to the -unadulterated happiness that went with being near her. He forgot all -about the long future when he would see her no more. - -Finally Miss Gerald got up to go. They had returned to Bob's office and -she had seated herself in a shabby old chair. - -Bob's face fell. His heart had been beating fast and the old light had -come to his eyes. - -"Going?" he said awkwardly. - -"Yes." - -She put out her hand and Bob took it, looking into her eyes. Then--he -never knew how it happened--he had her in his arms. Bang! bang! went -Bob's hammers below and they seemed to be competing with the beating of -his heart. At length the girl stirred slightly. She was wonderful in her -proud compliance to Bob's somewhat chaotic and over-powering expression -of his emotions. "I suffered, too, a little, perhaps," she said. - -That nearly completed Bob's undoing. "You! you!" he said, holding her -from him and regarding her face eagerly, devouringly. - -"Yes," the proud lips curled a little, "I haven't really a heart of -stone, you know." - -Then Bob became chaotic once more for it was as if heaven had been -hurled at him. He spoke burning words of truth and this time they did -not get him into trouble. She drank them all in, too. Then he began to -ask questions in that same chaotic manner. He was so masterful she had -to answer. - -"Yes, yes," she said, "of course, I do." - -"When did it begin?" - -"A long, long time ago." - -"You have loved me a long time?" he exulted and drew a deep breath. "A -moment ago I was pondering on the problems of life and wondering what -was the use of it all? Now--" He paused. - -"Now?" said the girl and her eyes were direct and clear. The love light -in them--for it was that--shone as the light of stars. - -Bob threw out his arms. "Life is great," he said. - -A moment they stood apart and looked at each other. "It can't be," said -Bob. "It is too much to believe. I certainly must prove it once more." - -"One moment," said Miss Gerald. "Dolly told me you kissed her." - -"I did." - -"Why, if as you say, it was only I--?" - -Bob was silent. - -"Did--did she ask you to?" - -Bob did not answer. - -"You don't answer?" The violet eyes studied him discerningly. - -"All I can say is I did kiss her." He would not betray jolly little pal. - -The violet eyes looked satisfied. "You have answered," she said. "I -think I understand the situation thoroughly." - -Bob impetuously wanted to demonstrate once more that she was really -she--that it wasn't a dream--but she held him back and looked into his -eyes. "You've said a good many things," said Miss Gerald. "But there's -one you haven't." - -"What?" - -"It's one you really ought to ask, after all this demonstration." - -"Oh!" said Bob loudly. "Will you marry me?" - -"Yes," she answered. And for the first time voluntarily offered him her -lips. - -Suddenly the sound of hammers stopped. - -"What's happening?" she asked. - -"Closing time. May I see you to your car?" - -"Yes," she laughed, "if you will get in." - -"I'll get in if you won't be ashamed of having a rather dingy-looking -individual by your side?" - -"I'm proud of you, Bob," said her father's daughter. "And I believe in -you." - -"And--?" he suggested. - -"I love you," she said simply. - -Bob tried to say something, but words didn't seem to come. Then silently -he opened the door and they passed out. He helped her in the car and -held a small gloved hand all the way down Fifth Avenue. Young people who -can be cruel are, also, capable of going to the other extreme. It wasn't -Fifth Avenue for Bob. It was Paradise. - -Dad heard the news that night. "Of course," he said. "I expected it." -Then, with a twinkle of the eye. "But I'm glad you got started in life -for yourself first, son. I was afraid you would ask her before you had -the right." - -"You afraid? Then you did suggest my doing it, just to try me, to see -what kind of stuff I was made of? I thought so. I told her so." Bob's -eyes now began to twinkle. "Sure that's all you did, dad, to find out if -I was a real man or a sawdust one?" - -"Perhaps I did misrepresent slightly the state of the parental -exchequer. As a matter of fact, I'm still pretty well off, Bob. Though -they did bounce me a little, I was not so much ruined as I let people -think. I didn't deny those bankruptcy stories, because I wanted you to -make good, dear boy. And you have!" There was pride and affection in -dad's tones. "But now that you have, there will be no further need to -continue that Japanese custom. I have ample for my simple needs and a -little left over to go fishing with." - -Bob might have protested, but just at that moment a car swung in front -of the house, where it stopped. On the back seat sat a lady. The driver -got out and started up the steps to dad's house. By this time Bob was -coming down the steps. He hastened to the lady. - -"So good of you!" he said, his eyes alight. "I ordered to-day that car -of my own," he added, leaning over the door. - -"Are you sure you can afford it yet?" she laughed. - -"Sure. And it will be a beauty. As fit for you as any car could be!" - -"Are you going like that--hatless?" she asked. - -"I--well, I was wondering if I couldn't induce you to come in for a -moment?" Eagerly. "Want you to meet dad. Or shall I bring him out here?" - -"I'll go in, of course," she said, rising at once. "And I shall be very -glad." - -"He--he was only trying me out, after all," spoke Bob as he opened the -door of the car. "That advice, I mean. You remember? And he pretended to -be broke, too, just to test me. He told me just now." - -"I think I shall like your father," said Miss Gerald. - -"Oh, we're bully chums!" - -By this time they were in the house. Bob took her by the hand and led -her to dad. - -"I remember your mother and I knew your father," said dad, when Bob had -presented him. "Your mother was very beautiful." - -Gwendoline thanked him, while Bob gazed upon her with adoring eyes. - -"Isn't she wonderful, dad?" he said. - -"Wonderful, indeed," said dad fondly, a little sadly. Perhaps he was -thinking of the time when his own bride had stood right there, in the -home he had bought for her. Perhaps he saw her eyes with the light of -love in them--eyes long since closed. "I trust you will not think me -trite if I say, God bless you," murmured dad. - -"I won't think you trite at all," said Gwendoline Gerald, approaching -nearer to dad. "I think it very nice." - -"And would you think me trite if I--?" - -Dad's meaning was apparent for Gwendoline's golden head bent toward him -and dad's lips just brushed the fair brow. - -"I'm very glad. I think Bob will make a good husband. He will have to -set himself a high mark though, to deserve you, my dear." - -"That's just what I keep telling her myself," observed Bob. He -experienced anew a touch of that chaotic feeling but didn't give way to -it on account of dad's being there. - -"Don't set the mark too high, or you may leave me far behind," laughed -Gwendoline Gerald. "By the way I've asked Dolly to be first bridesmaid -and she has consented. Said she supposed that was the 'next best thing,' -though I can't imagine what she meant." - -"That's jolly," said Bob. He thrilled at these little delicious details -of the approaching event. "But I suppose we should be going now." - -"Is it the opera?" asked dad. - -Bob answered that it was. "She insisted on coming for me in her car," he -laughed. "Would have had one myself now if I had imagined anything like -this. It was rather sudden, you know." - -"It looks as if I made him do it," said the girl with a laugh. "I went -right to his office, and that, after his refusing me once, when I -proposed to him." - -"Did you do that, Bob?" - -"Well, I didn't believe she meant it. Did you?" To Miss Gerald. - -"That's telling," said Gwendoline, and looked so inviting in that -wonderful opera costume, so white and tall and alluring, so many other -things calculated to fire a young man's soul, that Bob had difficulty -not to resort to extreme masculine measures to make her tell. - -"Hope you have a pleasant evening," observed dad politely as they went -out together, a couple the neighbors might well find excuse to stare at. - -"Oh, I guess we'll manage to pull through," said Bob. - -Their first evening out all alone by themselves in great, big gay New -York! It was nice and shadowy, too, in the big limousine where the dim -light spiritualized the girl's beauty. - -"Tell now," he urged, "what I asked you in there?" - -"Did I mean it?" Her starry eyes met his. "Perhaps a little bit. But I'm -glad you didn't accept. I'm glad it came out the other way," she -laughed. - -Bob forgot there was a possibility of some one peering in and seeing -them. Those laughing lips were such a tremendous lure. Then they both -sat very still. Wheels sang around them; there was magic in the air. - -"Just think of it!" said Bob with sudden new elation. - -"What?" - -"Why, there'll be nights and nights like this," he said, as if he had -made an important new discovery. - -"And 'then some'!" added the classical young goddess non-classically and -gaily, as they turned into the Great White Way. - - THE END - - - - - By FREDERIC S. ISHAM - - The Strollers. Illustrated by Harrison Fisher. 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - Under the Rose. Illustrated by Howard Chandler Christy, 12mo, Cloth, - $1.50 - Black Friday. Illustrated by Harrison Fisher, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - The Lady of the Mount. Illustrated by Lester Ralph, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - Half a Chance. Illustrated by Herman Pfeifer, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - The Social Buccaneer. Illustrated by W. B. King, 12mo, Cloth, $1.50 - A Man and His Money. Illustrated by Max J. Spero, 12mo, Cloth, $1.25 - Net - Aladdin from Broadway. Illustrated by William Thatcher Van Dresser, - 12mo, Cloth, $1.25 Net - - - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Nothing But the Truth, by Frederic S. Isham - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK NOTHING BUT THE TRUTH *** - -***** This file should be named 43916.txt or 43916.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/4/3/9/1/43916/ - -Produced by Roger Frank and Sue Clark - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions -will be renamed. - -Creating the works from public domain print editions means that no -one owns a United States copyright in these works, so the Foundation -(and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United States without -permission and without paying copyright royalties. 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