ay. "See, isn't that the Kurhaus? There, it is lost again."

The tourists in the passage were Americans and the girl who had spoken
was young and attractive. Stewart noticed them for the first time and
moved to a more decorous distance from Marie.

Marie Jedlicka took her cue and lapsed into silence, but her thoughts
were busy. Perhaps this girl was going to Semmering also and the Herr
Doktor would meet her. But that was foolish! There were other resorts
besides Semmering, and in the little villa to which they went there
would be no Americans. It was childish to worry about a girl whose back
and profile only she had seen. Also profiles were deceptive; there was
the matter of the ears. Marie's ears were small and set close to her
head. If the American Fraulein's ears stuck out or her face were only
short and wide! But no. The American Fraulein turned and glanced once
swiftly into the compartment. She was quite lovely.

Stewart thought so, too. He got up with a great show of stretching and
yawning and lounged into the passage. He did not speak to the girl;
Marie noted that with some comfort. But shortly after she saw him
conversing easily with a male member of the party. Her heart sank again.
Life was moving very fast for Marie Jedlicka that afternoon on the
train.

Stewart was duly presented to the party of Americans and offered his own
cards, bowing from the waist and clicking his heels together, a German
custom he had picked up. The girl was impressed; Marie saw that. When
they drew into the station at Semmering Stewart helped the American
party off first and then came back for Marie. Less keen eyes than
the little Austrian's would have seen his nervous anxiety to escape
attention, once they were out of the train and moving toward the gate
of the station. He stopped to light a cigarette, he put down the
hand-luggage and picked it up again, as though it weighed heavily,
whereas it was both small and light. He loitered through the gate and
paused to exchange a word with the gateman.

The result was, of course, that the Americans were in a sleigh and well
up the mountainside before Stewart and Marie were seated side by side in
a straw-lined sledge, their luggage about them, a robe over their knees,
and a noisy driver high above them on the driving-seat. Stewart spoke to
her then, the first time for half an hour.

Marie found some comfort. The villas at Semmering were scattered wide
over the mountain breast, set in d