s laughter
which doubled him up.

"And do you know what it really was?" He gave them ample time but
received no answer. So he shouted it aloud; he thought he shouted:

"Not the roof at all! Not brick--not even tin! Pots and pans! Pots and
pans! Aluminum! Dozens! A whole set of 'em!"

He thought it was laughter which doubled him up; then found he was
deathly sick. Was this the floor he was lying upon, or a table? Because
if it was the floor he'd have to get up; he didn't know whether he could
make it again or not but he'd be a game guy and try. They were holding
him? All right, let it go at that. Holliday'd not got up either. He
could see Holliday just as plain--just as clear!--unconscious on the
canvas. Then the fight must be over--he was glad of that . . .

He came to crying weakly.

CHAPTER XII

WINNER TAKE ALL

His first conscious thought was of his great need to go to her quickly,
yet he waited several days to give his marked face time to heal, Hamilton
and Jack English waiting with him. And at length, on the way north, he
shyly opened his heart to them; he told them of his plan. Because he was
urgent about it, and more than a little panicky, they promised they would
see him through with it; when they parted at Grand Central it was to be
for only an hour or two.

"You'll not fail me?" he asked anxiously.

Hamilton made game of him, a little.

"We'll be there," he answered. "Where's your nerve, man? We'll be there
with our hair in a braid."

"We'll be there," echoed English soberly. "We'll be in your corner."

He very nearly missed her; and yet afterward she always insisted that she
was sure he would come, even in that last minute while she stood looking
about to be certain that she had overlooked nothing in the apartment
which she could no longer have afforded to keep even had she wanted to.
Therefore her start at his appearance upon the threshold did not equal
his surprise at the sight of her dressed for traveling, her belongings
already packed.

For it fairly demoralized him. Like every good tactician he had coped
with as many details as could be handled in advance, but against this
moment his preparation had been none too thorough. Desperately, once or
twice, he had tried to drill himself for it, practicing a line or two
which he hoped he could remember.

"I'm not her kind; I'm different from what she is," he had told himself,
"and I will tell her that. But I'll tell