d be locked after
midnight. Our talk was so interesting!... Oh, one will die of exposure,
and the whole Club will seethe."

Bedient patted her shoulder cheerfully, and led the way along the fence
through the thick greenery, until they were opposite the Club entrance.
He had not known the park was ever locked. He saw disturbance
ahead--bright disturbance--but steadily refused to grant it importance.
He was sorry for Mrs. Wordling.

"Let the Club seethe, if it starts so readily," he observed.

The remark astonished his companion, who had concluded he was either
bashful to the depths, or some other woman's property, probably Beth
Truba's.

"But you men have nothing to lose!" she exclaimed.

"I ask you to pardon me," Bedient said quickly. "I had not thought of
it in that way."

They were watching the Club entrance. One o'clock struck over the city.
Mrs. Wordling had become cold, and needed his coat, though she had to
be forced to submit to its protection. At last, a gentleman entered the
Club, and Bedient called to the page who appeared in the doorway. The
boy stepped out into the street, when called a second time. Bedient
made known his trouble. The keys were brought and richly paid for,
though Bedient did not negotiate. The night-man smiled pleasantly, and
cheered them, with the word that this had happened before, on nights
less fine.

* * * * *

David Cairns had stepped into a telephone-booth in the main-hall of the
_Smilax Club_ the following afternoon, to announce his presence in the
building to Vina Nettleton. Waiting for the exchange-operator to
connect, he heard two pages talking about Bedient and Mrs. Wordling.
These were bright street-boys, very clever in their uniforms, and
courteous, but street-boys nevertheless; and they had not noted the man
in the booth. A clouded, noisome thing, David Cairns heard. Doubtless
it had passed through several grades of back-stair intelligence before
it became a morsel for Cairns' particular informers. Having heard
enough to understand, he kicked the door shut, and Vina found him
distraught that day....

It was in the dusk of that afternoon when Cairns met Bedient, whose
happiness was eminent and shining as usual. Cairns gave him a chance to
mention the episode which had despoiled his own day, but Bedient seemed
to have forgotten it remotely. It was because such wonderful things had
been accomplished in his own life that Cairns was troubl