rned
he brought no answer to the message.

"Was Miss Waldron out?" Annandale asked.

"I could not say, sir. I gave the flowers to the maid, and said as how
you would call this evening, sir. The maid came back and said Miss
Waldron would not be at 'ome."

At this Annandale flushed. It is true he was flushed already. But the
affront was a little more than he could stand. Was he not engaged to
her? What did she mean? Yet, then, too, what had he done? He wished to
the devil he could tell. Try, though, as he might, he could not recall
a thing except a vision of the girl's face, white, drawn and angered.
The rest was not blurred, it was blank. It was extremely unfortunate,
and Annandale decided that he was both unhappy and misused.

These meditations Harris interrupted.

"Mr. Orr, sir."

Annandale, who had been far away, looked up. Then he nodded.

A moment and Orr entered, eying Annandale curiously as he came.

"What a deuce of a chap you are," he began.

"Who? I? Why? Why do you say that?"

Orr looked about the room, contemplated a wide lounge of black
leather, selected a straight-backed chair instead and seated himself,
his hat and stick in his hand.

"You know well enough," he answered. "But there," he added at a
protest from Annandale, "I don't propose to scold you. My visit is
purely official. Sylvia has asked me to inform you that the engagement
is at an end."

Had any little dog which Annandale did not possess run out from
nowhere and bit him fiercely on the leg, he could not have started
more. He stared at Orr, who stared at him.

"But! It is impossible! What have I done?"

"It would be more to the point," Orr cheerfully replied, "to ask what
you have not done. Though just what you did do Sylvia omitted to
state. She said she could not."

"Could not tell you?"

"Could not or would not."

"Then I can't," said Annandale helplessly. "I went there last evening,
I remember that. I remember, too, that she was angry. But why I do
not know. Though, to be candid, she had cause to be. I was drunk."

"You seemed all right at the Arundel," Orr objected.

"At all events, drunk or sober, I cannot recall a thing. I have tried.
I have tried hard. It has gone."

"Does it happen to you often?"

"What?"

"To forget like that?"

Annandale shook his head. He stood up and stalked about. Orr eyed him.
He saw he was not shamming.

"You know, Annandale," he said at last, "you could not get many to
accept tha