march right out
again.

The taxi-driver was willing to take her to hotels as long as they and
her money lasted. Her strength and her patience gave out first. At the
Lafayette she advanced wearily, disconsolately to the desk. She saw
Ross Davidge stretched out in a big chair. He did not see her. His hat
was pulled over his eyes, and he had the air of angry failure. If he
despaired, what chance had she?

She received the usual regrets from the clerk. As she left the desk
the floor began to wabble. She hurried to an inviting divan and
dropped down, beaten and distraught. She heard some one approach, and
her downcast eyes saw a pair of feet move up and halt before her.

Since Lady Clifton-Wyatt's searing glance and words Marie Louise had
felt branded visibly, and unworthy of human kindness and shelter. She
was piteously grateful to this man for his condescension in saying:

"You'll have to excuse me for bothering you again. But I'm afraid
you're in worse trouble than I am. Nobody seems to be willing to take
you in."

He meant this as a light jocularity, but it gave her a moment's
serious fear that he had overheard Lady Clifton-Wyatt's slashing
remark. But he went on:

"Won't you allow me to try to find you a place? Don't you know anybody
here?"

"I know numbers of people, but I don't know where any of them are."

She told him of her efforts to get to Rosslyn by telephone, by
telegraph, by train or taxicab. Little tears added a sparkle to
laughter, but threatened rain. She ended with, "And now that I've
unloaded my riddles on you, aren't you sorry you spoke?"

"Not yet," he said, with a subtle compliment pleasantly implying that
she was perilous. Everybody likes to be thought perilous. He went on:
"I don't know Rosslyn, but it can't be much of a place for size. If
you have a friend there, we'll find her if we have to go to every
house in Rosslyn."

"But it's getting rather late, isn't it, to be knocking at all the
doors all by myself?"

She had not meant to hint, and it was a mere coincidence that he
thought to say:

"Couldn't I go along?"

"Thank you, but it's out in the country rather far, I'm afraid."

"Then I must go along."

"I couldn't think of troubling you."

The end of it was that he had his way, or she hers, or both theirs. He
made no nonsense of adventure or escapade about it, and she was too
well used to traveling alone to feel ashamed or alarmed. He led her to
the taxi, told the driver tha