out something that's weighing on my mind."

"I'm going out with a blonde to-morrow, night," Billy said speciously,
"but what's the matter with to-night? I'm free until six-fifty A. M.
and I could spare an hour or two between then and breakfast time."

"I can't to-night," Caroline said, "I promised Nancy to dine at the
Inn."

"That wasn't your line at all," Billy groaned. "Who's the blonde?--that
was your cue. If it's only Nancy you're dining with--that can be
fixed."

"I regard an engagement with Nancy as just as sacred as--"

"So do I," Billy cut in. "She is the blonde. Well, let to-morrow night
be as it may; let's you and I call up the Nancy girl now and tell her
that we're going batting together; she won't care."

"I don't like doing that," Caroline said; "it's a nice night for a
bat, though."

"I walked down Murray Hill and saw the sun set in a nice pinky gold
setting," Billy said artfully. Caroline liked to have him get an
artistic perspective on New York. "Let's walk down the avenue to the
Cafe des Artistes and have Emince Bernard, and a long wide high, tall
drink of--ginger ale," he finished lamely.

"We'd have to telephone Nancy," Caroline hesitated.

Billy took her by the arm and guided her into the interior of the
drug-store to the side aisle where the telephones were, and stepped
into the first empty booth that offered. Caroline stopped him firmly
as he was about to shut himself inside.

"I'd rather hear what you say," she said.

Billy slipped his nickel in the slot and took up the receiver.

"Madison Square 3403 doesn't answer," Central informed him crisply
after an interval.

"Oh! Nancy, dear," Billy replied softly into her astonished ear.
"Caroline and I are going off by ourselves to-night, you don't care,
do you?"

"Ringing thr-r-ree-four-o-thr-r-ee, Madison Square."

"That's nice of you," Billy responded heartily. "I thought you'd say
that."

"Madison Square thr-r-ree-four-o-t-h-r-r-ree doesn't answer. Hang up
your receiver and I'll call you if I get the party."

"Of course I will. You're always so tactful in the way you put things,
always so generous and kind and thoughtful. I can't tell you how much
I appreciate it."

"What did Nancy say?" Caroline asked, as they turned away from the
booth.

"You heard my end of the conversation," Billy said blandly. "You can
deduce hers from it."

"There was something about your end of the conversation that sounded
queer to me somehow. It w