d before the brief hour was over
that when he returned to his rooms he wrote his column before turning
in. He felt as if fiery swords were playing about his mind, flashing
out words and phrases that would make his brother columnists, no
sluggards in words and phrases themselves, green on the morrow. For
the moment he was quite happy, as he always was when his mind was
abnormally quickened, and he dismissed women and their infernal whims
to limbo.

When he awoke at two o'clock in the afternoon his brain felt like the
ashes of a bonfire and his spirits were a leaden weight. He knew what
was to be expected of reaction, however, and after his punch bag and
showers he felt better. He'd see her today and force some sort of
understanding.

But when he opened his door and saw a letter in her handwriting, and
evidently delivered by a servant, as it was unstamped, his hand shook
and his half-recovered confidence fled. This time he made no attempt
at the farce of self-discipline; he opened it at once. When he saw
that it began without formality he drew a longer breath.

"I am not going to see you until Saturday," it read, "when I hope you
will take me to Miss Dwight's party. Meanwhile I shall ask you not to
see Mr. Dinwiddie nor any one else likely to discuss me. I shall not
care to stay long at the party and if you will return here with me I
will tell you my secret, such as it is. I shall only say here that I
had no intention of making a mystery of myself, for I did not expect to
exchange a word with any one in America but Judge Trent and his
business associates. I came to America for one purpose only, to settle
my affairs, which would have dragged on interminably if I had not been
here to receive my alienated properties in person. I know many people
in New York, but I had no idea of seeing any of them, although tempted
on account of the money they might help me to collect for the children
of Austria. But I had decided to leave that until the last minute. I
not only was no longer interested in these old friends of mine, but I
disliked the explanations I should be forced to give them, the
comments, the curiosity, the endless questions. What I mean by this
you will know on Saturday night.

"But it is not the first time in my life that I have discovered the
futility of making plans. My meeting with you and the profound
interest you have awakened has upset all calculations. I expected
nothing less! If I had I sh