d another success in him. The result is they're at outs. I
hear he's drinking. Somebody who'd seen him told me he had gone all to
pieces. You haven't seen him, I suppose?"

"No."

"I thought maybe you might have run into him. He lives right opposite."

Sally clutched at the arm of her chair.

"Lives right opposite? Gerald Foster? What do you mean?"

"Across the passage there," said Mrs. Fillmore, jerking her thumb at the
door. "Didn't you know? That's right, I suppose you didn't. They moved
in after you had beaten it for England. Elsa wanted to be near you, and
she was tickled to death when she found there was an apartment to be had
right across from you. Now, that just proves what I was saying a while
ago about Elsa. If she wasn't fond of you, would she go out of her way
to camp next door? And yet, though she's so fond of you, she doesn't
hesitate about wrecking your property by quitting the show when she sees
a chance of doing herself a bit of good. It's funny, isn't it?"

The telephone-bell, tinkling sharply, rescued Sally from the necessity
of a reply. She forced herself across the room to answer it.

"Hullo?"

Ginger's voice spoke jubilantly.

"Hullo. Are you there? I say, it's all right, about that binge, you
know."

"Oh, yes?"

"That dog fellow, you know," said Ginger, with a slight diminution of
exuberance. His sensitive ear had seemed to detect a lack of animation
in her voice. "I've just been talking to him over the 'phone, and it's
all settled. If," he added, with a touch of doubt, "you still feel like
going into it, I mean."

There was an instant in which Sally hesitated, but it was only an
instant.

"Why, of course," she said, steadily. "Why should you think I had
changed my mind?"

"Well, I thought... that is to say, you seemed... oh, I don't know."

"You imagine things. I was a little worried about something when you
called me up, and my mind wasn't working properly. Of course, go ahead
with it. Ginger. I'm delighted."

"I say, I'm awfully sorry you're worried."

"Oh. it's all right."

"Something bad?"

"Nothing that'll kill me. I'm young and strong."

Ginger was silent for a moment.

"I say, I don't want to butt in, but can I do anything?"

"No, really, Ginger, I know you would do anything you could, but this
is just something I must worry through by myself. When do you go down to
this place?"

"I was thinking of popping down this afternoon, just to take a look
round."