lly self-reliant. Again, as in the room at the
hospital, her quiet poise of manner struck him. And though she was once
more dressed in the plainest and least costly of attire--as well as he
could judge--he knew that he should be entirely willing to take her
anywhere where he was known, with no mental apologies for her
appearance. This thought immediately put another into his mind, on which
he lost no time in acting.

"This is a great piece of luck," said he, and went on hurriedly, trying
to use diplomacy, which always came hard with him: "I don't want it to
slip away too soon. Why couldn't we spend the rest of the day together?
I'm just on my way back home from a piece of work I've been
superintending outside this city. I've plenty of time ahead of me, and
I'm sure the book business can't be so pressing that you couldn't take a
few hours off. If you'll venture to trust yourself to me we'll go off
into the country somewhere, and have dinner at some pleasant place. Then
we can talk things over--all sorts of things," he added quickly, lest
this seem too pointed. "Won't you--please?"

She considered an instant, then said frankly: "Of course that would be
delightful, and I can't think of a real reason why I shouldn't do it.
What time is it, please?"

"Only three o'clock. We'll have time for a splendid drive and I'll
promise to get you back at any hour you say--after dinner."

"It must be early."

"It shall be. Well, then--will you wait in the vestibule out here two
minutes, please? I'll have the car at the door."

Thus it happened that Aleck, four blocks away, having just comfortably
settled to the reading of a popular magazine on mechanics, found himself
summarily ejected from his seat, and sent off upon his own resources
for a number of hours.

"Take care of yourself, Al, and have a good time out of it if you can,"
urged his master, and Aleck observed that King's eyes were very bright
and his manner indicative of some fresh mental stimulus received during
the brief time of his absence. "Have the best sort of a dinner wherever
you like."

"All right, Mr. King," Aleck responded. "I hope you're going to have a
good time yourself," he added, "after all the work you've done to-day. I
was some anxious for fear you'd do too much."

"No chance, Aleck, with Doctor Burns's orders what they are. And I
didn't do a thing but stand around and talk with the men. I'm feeling
fit as a fiddle now." And King drove off in haste.