ten up and
talk straight and seem sensible, one minute, and promise to behave, and
mean it too, and the next, there they go, making a scene, cutting
somebody or killing themselves! You can't count on them. But that's
not to the point, exactly, I expect. You'd better keep away from the
'Straw-Cellar.' If you'd been caught with the rest you'd have had a
hard time, and they'd have found out your real name, too, because it's
pretty serious on account of your dancing with her when she did it, and
the Canaan papers would have got hold of it and you wouldn't be invited
to Judge Pike's any more, Eugene."

Eugene dropped his arm from his eyes and stared into the face of his
step-brother.

"Joe Louden!" he gasped.

"I'll never tell," said Joe. "You'd better keep out of all this sort.
You don't understand it, and you don't--you don't do it because you
care." He smiled wanly, his odd distorted smile of friendliness. "When
you go back you might tell father I'm all right. I'm working through a
law-school here--and remember me to Norbert Flitcroft," he finished,
with a chuckle.

Eugene covered his eyes again and groaned.

"It's all right," Joe assured him. "You're as safe as if it had never
happened. And I expect"--he went on, thoughtfully--"I expect, maybe,
you'd prefer NOT to say you'd seen me, when you go back to Canaan.
Well, that's all right. I don't suppose father will be asking after
me--exactly."

"No, he doesn't," said Eugene, still white and shaking. "Don't stand
talking. I'm sick."

"Of course," returned Joe. "But there's one thing I would like to ask
you--"

"Your father's health is perfect, I believe."

"It--it--it was something else," Joe stammered, pitifully. "Are they
all--are they all--all right at--at Judge Pike's?"

"Quite!" Eugene replied, sharply. "Are you going to get me away from
here? I'm sick, I tell you!"

"This street," said Joe, and cheerfully led the way.

Five minutes later the two had parted, and Joe leaned against a cheap
restaurant sign-board, drearily staring after the lamps of the gypsy
night-cab he had found for his step-brother. Eugene had not offered to
share the vehicle with him, had not even replied to his good-night.

And Joe himself had neglected to do something he might well have done:
he had not asked Eugene for news of Ariel Tabor. It will not justify
him entirely to suppose that he assumed that her grandfather and she
had left Canaan never to return, and